Something Special
by Silverowl61
Summary: Annabeth and Percy are two normal people. Sure, they're still demigods, but they aren't super famous, or rich, or anything. All they had was something special, a love that will never be repeated. This story will be about their lives from their marriage onwards. They don't have a Lexus, or a lot of cash, or even a dog, but they have something special. Link for cover in bio.
1. Wedding Jitters

Annabeth breathed in, and exhaled smoothly. She looked down at her left hand, where a legion of diamonds sat on a silver band, waiting as patiently as she was. Her hand traced her silhouette in the mirror facing her, going up and down the white dress she was wearing. Her mind was racing with thoughts.

'Am I too young to be doing this?'

'Should I really be wearing a tiara?'

'Why did I let Piper buy it for me?'

Of course, these were just jitters. She was twenty-seven, an award winning architect in Manhattan. She was living in a beautiful home on Long Island, and had the best fiancé and soon to be husband in the world. The famous half-blood Percy Jackson.

Of course, the half-blood part was a thing of the past. No one in her age group used the term anymore. Her friends and her used the term demigod, another popular phrase. Half-blood made them sound childish, as if they were in their teenage years again.

Now, Hazel was an aspiring author, who'd written an award winning series on a girl who lived in the 1940's, and suddenly wakes up in the present day. She was already married to Frank, and they had two small daughters named Marie and Emily after their two dead grandmothers.

Piper was entreprenuer who'd set up a brand of eco-friendly and affordable makeup. It's slogan was 'It's so light, you can't even feel it!' Which was based off of her strong dislike for heavy makeup. She, too was already married to Jason, and she was expecting their first child in July, a month after Annabeth's wedding.

Rachel Elizabeth Dare, who Annabeth had deviously hated since their meeting, was now Leo's wife. After his heartbreak with Calypso, (another story) she agreed to go out on a date with him. Three months afterwards, they had sealed the deal at the New York Courthouse. Annabeth had eventually warmed up to her, even though she still hated those marker covered jeans.

Annabeth was still gazing at herself in the looking glass when she heard a small knock on the door of her room.

"Annabeth, dear? Can I come in?" Annabeth sighed, relieved to hear the sound of Sally Jackson's voice.

"Yes, please." She said, trying not to sound desperate. The door creaked open and Annabeth caught sight of her soon mother in law. Even though she was a good fifteen years older than when she'd first met her, Percy's mom was still a radiant looking woman. As she walked over and enveloped her in a hug, Annabeth could smell all of the things that made Percy happy. Chocolate chip cookies, the ocean, and a touch of Sally's signature gardenia perfume. Annabeth inhaled deeply.

"You know Annabeth? This is the first time you've been in this cabin with me." She glanced around the room. She knew Montauk was special to Percy, which is why she'd volunteered this house, the old, sandy, worn house to be the site of where they became husband and wife.

"I guess it is." Annabeth said, trying not to cry. Her emotions were tumbling around inside like a bingo cage, swirling and clashing with everything else. Sally reached up and pushed a tear off her tan cheek.

"Don't cry, everything's fine. Here comes the sun, okay?" Sally said, quoting her and Percy's favorite song.

"Okay. I'm ready." She said confidently.

"Good, because I hear the music, they're ready for you."

That made Annabeth's heart race. It was time to walk on the beach, down the aisle. The next time she walked in this cabin, she would be Annabeth Jackson. She inhaled deeply, smelling the ocean and the sand. She walked out of the bedroom, through the kitchen, and to the back door to the beach. She grabbed the knob and exhaled, walking out to meet her father and become Mrs. Percy Jackson.


	2. Wedding Vows

Chapter 2: Annabeth

The sun was just hanging over the sea, giving the guests the impression of a floating orange in a sapphire sea and surrounded by a sherbet colored sky. 'It couldn't be more beautiful.' She thought to herself as she found her fathers' arm and grasped it.

"Ready?" He whispered, his blue eyes gazing into her grey.

"Of course." She responded, causing her dad's' eyes to tear. She wouldn't be his after this. He wouldn't have his little girl; whether or not he'd always had her, anymore. She started to stroll as the band played "The Wedding March". She gazed at the guests and saw some of her old friends occupying the chairs. Travis Stoll his wife, Katie Gardner-Stoll had driven up from Florida to attend, along with his brother Connor. Chiron was sitting on the side, his wheelchair parked in a special handicapped spot reserved for him. Her eyes flickered as she kept walking down. As she got to the last row, she saw Sally and Paul Blofis, Poseidon, and…

"Mom?" She whispered, not believing her eyes. Athena had told her she was too busy to make it, and had even sent an invitation to an opening of a World War II museum to prove it.

"Yes, dear. Did you think I was going to miss your wedding?" Athena asked stubbornly.

"But-" Annabeth began, but she realized she'd already reached the altar. She glanced behind her, looking at all of her friends and wedding crew. Hazel in the back, holding little girls Marie and Emily in her arms, they were adorable flower girls. Juniper, Grover's wife next, who's eyes were turning green with chlorophyll. Piper, whose hand rested on her swollen stomach, smiled at her as if to say 'Yay! You're finally getting married!' Finally, her maid of honor, Thalia, whose electric blue eyes were watered down with tears.

"Hehem!" The priest said, looking at her and at the man standing next to her. She glanced over as he grasped her hand. It was, of course, Percy.

"Dearly beloved, we have gathered here today to witness a bonding of two innocent souls, who wish to spend the rest of their lives together." The priest began. "Do you," he said, turning to her. "Annabeth Marie Chase, take Perseus David Jackson to be your lawful wedded husband, in sickness and health, richer or poorer, as long as you both shall live?" She responded almost immediately.

"Yes, of course." As Annabeth spoke, she placed a solid gold band around his finger.

"And do you, Perseus Alexander Jackson, take Annabeth Marie Chase to be your lawful wedded wife, in sickness and health, richer or poorer, as long as you both shall live?" His eyes filled with tears.

"Yes, forever and ever." He said as he slid a magnificent sapphire ring onto my left hand.

"By the state of the Gods and Olympus, I pronounce you husband and wife." He said, looking cheerful. "You may, um, kiss the bride." Percy lifted my veil up, and kissed me full on the lips. Not that we weren't used to that, of course.

The next hour passed in a blur. She went back inside and sat down in the bedroom, gazing at her wonderful ring. She heard the harpies arranging our tables out in front, for the reception. hadn't invited a lot of guests, just 80 people, but it was enough for Percy and her. They would eat and dance to the sounds of the sea, one of Annabeth's and Percy's favorite places in the world. She couldn't be happier.

Annabeth soon was distracted by a knock on the door.

"It's open!" she called, lying on the bed.

"Hello, sweetheart!" Annabeth heard Percy's voice say. Her anxiety and worries from the hours before seemed foolish now. He was perfect, everything was perfect. Her heart was filled with nothing but a deep love and passion for him.

"Hello, Seaweed Brain," said Annabeth slyly.

"Hey!" He exclaimed. "I thought we were going to lay off that now that we're married."

"Oh, no. I will always have to say your nickname. It's a part of you." She said standing up and tracing my fingers up his neck to his beautiful eyes.

"Ok." said Percy, looking defeated. "But, Wise Girl? We need to go out now. The reception's about to start." I grimaced at his use of the name and grasped his hand. got to the door and sighed.

"After you, Mrs. Jackson."

"No, after you."

"Fine!"

They then walked out to meet their friends.

The reception was perfect; the sky was a fading collage of orange, pink, and purple, the ocean was sapphire and azure tumbled together. The fairy lights hung up around the perimeter of the dance floor glittered, as if miniature stars were strung on cord. Annabeth sat at the front table with Percy, Thalia, Grover, and Tyson. The night faded blissfully, the shining moment was when Percy got up to say his speech.

"Thanks, everyone for being here today. I know Annabeth and I really appreciate it." He said, glancing at the guests. "Now, as you all know, I met Annabeth when we were both children, well, twelve. The first words she said to me were, 'You drool when you sleep.'' The audience laughed. "Anyway, her and I went on so many quests, and we were in danger so many times. When she thought I'd died those long months I was missing, I thought I was going to break. I loved, and love her so much." He paused to wipe a tear, making all the ladies' eyes glimmer too. "We aren't a famous couple, or a favourite couple, but our love is something. Our life together will be something special, and I want to make sure I love her every single day of my life, for the rest of it." Annabeth burst out into tears. She loved him so much, and he loved her in return. She quickly stood up and pulled him into a warm embrace, wanting to never let go.

After the last flute of champagne was drunk, and the guests had left, they returned to the cabin. She made sure that they closed the bedroom door, because they wouldn't want anyone interrupting tonight.


	3. Welcome to the World

Chapter 3

Annabeth and Percy finally got back to a normal schedule around June 28th, three weeks after their wedding. They drove back to their home, humming to the horrible 80's music on the radio. They almost didn't hear Annabeth's iPhone buzzing in the cup holder. She picked it up and read the contact.

"Hey, Jason!" She said brightly. "What's up? You're on speaker." She heard panting and wailing.

"Annabeth! She's having the baby!" said Jason hurriedly.

"No way!" exclaimed Percy from the drivers' seat.

"Yes, way! I need you to come down to the St. Francis hospital as soon as you can, please!" Jason said, sounding desperate.

"Okay, calm down buddy. Everything's going to be okay." Annabeth said, her voice soothing and serene.

"Seen you when you get here!" He said, and then hung up.

The hospital was busy, and smelled like tanning oil. Annabeth ran up to the counter.

"Hi, I'm Annabeth Jackson, and this is my husband Percy, we're here to see Piper Grace?"

"Are you a direct relative?" The fat nurse at the counter asked, looking bored.

"Um, well, no… but-" She started, but the nurse cut her off.

"Are you a specially trained doctor?"

"No."

"Well then, you aren't going in."

Annabeth was about to get very angry, when Jason ran up to them.

"Annabeth! Percy! You're here! C'mon!" He said, gesturing towards the maternity ward. The nurse opened her mouth, but then closed it, there wasn't a point.

Annabeth ran down the hall, and turned at the third door, as she heard Piper's wails. She flung the door open and saw Piper, her face streaming with sweat.

"Annie! It," She gasped. "Hurts-so, much!" A blonde nurse was whispering instructions in her ear, and she was following them. Annabeth raced to her side, and let her squish her hand.

"Alright, Piper! Are you ready?" asked the nurse, who was peering at the contractions monitor. Piper nodded, and then let out out a scream.

"Push!" Piper wailed.

"Push!" The nurse yelled out, Piper's face turned purple.

"Push!" On the third try, I heard a small cry. I jerked my head towards the end of the bed, but Piper was too big to see anything.

"Annie! Please-, go outside!" She hollered, her voice trembling.

"Okay," said Annabeth. "But you tell the nurse to come and get me when you're done." Piper nodded, and continued. Annabeth walked out into the hall, and joined Percy and Jason.

"Is she okay?" Jason asked. "She wouldn't let me come in."

"She's fine. I just hope she's not worrying over this right now." Annabeth replied, and was about to say more when the nurse walked out.

"She would like to see the father, please." The blonde said, gesturing towards Jason. He walked, shaking, into the room. Annabeth paced back and forth.

'Did something go wrong?' she thought, looking at all the babies through the window.

'Why didn't Piper let me stay?'

'Is there something she's hiding?'

Percy came over and awakened her from her trance.

"The nurse has just been out. Piper says we can go in now." Annabeth ran to the door. She flung it open and saw Piper and Jason, both of them holding a baby.

"Twins?!" She exclaimed, her eyes wide.

"Twins." Both of the parents said at once. Percy's eyes were as wide as Annabeth's.

"We didn't want to tell anyone," Piper said. "We thought that we should just keep it a secret." Her face was red, partially from exhaust, and because she was blushing.

"What are their names?" Percy asked, glancing at the two babies, who were swaddled in blue and pink.

"Well," said Jason. "The boy is going to be James Tristan, because I like the name James, and Tristan after Piper's dad." Piper rocked the baby in her arms back and forth.

"And," She said. "This little one is going to be Helen Elizabeth, because Helen of Troy was the prettiest person in Greece."

Annabeth got the feeling that they needed to leave, so she grabbed Percy, and bade the happy couple farewell.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Later that day, Percy and Annabeth were lounging on the couch, watching reruns of Friends.

"Annabeth?" Percy asked, looking out at the sea.

"Yes, Seaweed Brain?" She said, looking worried.

"When are we going to have kids?" He asked, his tan cheeks blooming. Annabeth sat there for a moment, thinking about his question.

"I don't know, honey. I don't know." The duo then sat there, glancing at the waves, their thoughts muddled in the future to come.

**Hey everyone! Thank you for being so supportive, it means a lot to me! I want at least 3 decent reviews before I post Chapter 4. The next chapters' a good one, so if you want to read more, please review! **

**Cheers, L.L**


	4. I've got a Secret

Chapter 4: January

The cold rain pounded against Annabeth's car as she drove to work. Percy had been away for two weeks, leaving her to care for herself. She was on the highway, when she felt nauseous.

'Oh, gods not again!' She thought, and reached into her bag for another plastic bag. The sound of her vomiting made her feel even sicker, and she forced herself to turn onto the U-turn, so she could go back to her house. While she was driving, she called Percy.

"Hello, Percy Jackson speaking." her husband's voice said.

"Perce?" She exclaimed, feeling woozy.

"Annabeth? What's wrong?" He said, he voice poisoned with worry.

"I, I got sick again." She said admittedly, as if she'd broken his favourite possession.

"What?" He exclaimed. "Are you going home again?"

"Yes!" She groaned. "Percy, do you think I should go to the doctor? I mean, I've thrown up six times this week."

"Sweetie, I am almost home." She uttered a silent cry of thanks to Athena. "Just get home, and we'll go see Dr. Walden."

"Okay, I've got to go. See you soon." She said, and hung up.

"Annabeth!" Percy said, running out of the house to see her pull up to the house. "Honey, come here." She started to burst into tears. She hadn't been at her job in a week, due to her frequent sickness.

"Let's go, Dr. Walden's waiting." He whispered serenely. They clambered into his car, and drove down to Hudson.

Once they arrived, he took her by the hand, and marched into the office.

"Annabeth Jackson, for an appointment!" He said jubilantly. The nurse smiled.

"Sit down, sir." She said, gesturing towards the waiting room. They sat down in two horribly uncomfortable chairs. Annabeth suddenly feigned interest in the fashion magazines sitting on the end table. She picked up an outdated Vogue, and began to read until the nurse said it was time to go in.

The doctor's office was very white, and had a bunch of instruments in it. Annabeth looked around at the diagrams on the walls, and saw that the doctor had walked in.

"Hello, Annabeth! How are you?" He asked, his eyebrows knitting.

"I, uh, am not very good." She said, looking at Percy.

"What seems to be the problem?" He asked, looking at her husband.

"Well, I, uh," said Annabeth, her hands wringing themselves.

"She's been throwing up a lot." Percy said, looking at her. The doctor started to laugh.

"You haven't told him yet?" He asked, still chuckling.

"I just wanted it to be a surprise." She said, shrugging her shoulders.

"What did you want to be a surprise?" Percy asked, looking at his wife, who grinned sheepishly.

"Well, I actually came in a few days ago, and had a sonogram done," She said. His face was cloudy. "And they confirmed what the seven tests I took said." His face was still blank.

"Percy, I'm pregnant. We're going to be parents!"

"Pregnant?" He said, and looked at Annabeth, who was blushing furiously. "Really?" He asked her, looking shocked.

"Yeah, believe me, when I saw the positive sign on the thing I bought at the pharmacy, I didn't think it was true either. Which is why I bought six more." She replied, her hand now on top of his. "You don't call me Wise Girl for nothing." Percy's shoulders dropped. He was going to be a father! He took Annabeth in his arms hugged her, smelling her shampooed hair and lilac perfume.

"Do you two want to see the baby? I think in your demigod situation, you'd be able to see the gender now. " Dr. Walden asked, looking at them. They exchanged glances, and nodded. "Right this way, then!" He exclaimed, walking out the door and turning into a room labeled, "**ULTRASOUND**".

"Are you ready, Annabeth?" Percy asked, looking at his wife.

"Of course!" She exclaimed, looking excited. They walked out of the room together, and into the screening room.

The nurse hooked Annabeth up to a screen, and rubbed cool gel over her abdomen. Percy clutched her hand, he was as excited as she was. The nurse grabbed an instrument and rubbed it over the gelled area. The screen was lighting up, a dull grey and black background was surrounding a tadpole-like object.

"Now, the squiggly thing is your child, right there," The nurse said pointing at the shape. "You have just past the 10 week mark, so we'll be able to see the gender. That is," she paused. "If you want to?" The parents looked at each other, and nodded.

'Alright, so if we zoom in a little, we'll be able to see that it's a…"


	5. Plans

**Hey everyone! Thank you so much for the reviews! I've never had that many…**

**I really hope that you read this chapter, it was a hard/weird/easy/funny one to write, and I feel kinda good about it. Oh, and if you feel like reading more fan fiction, I have a HP one, or my friend IwannabeSomeone has a PJ one up somewhere in Wonderland…**

**4 more reviews, my friends! Otherwise you'll never find out what happens to Annabeth… (or am I just lying?) **

**xx Liz Logan **

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**Princess of Flames- ** **Thank you so much for that review! I'm really glad that you enjoyed it, and that you told me about it. I hope you have enjoyed this as much as I have!**

**Creamoe- ** **Thanks for that feedback. I understand that it was rushed, but about how they can't tell the baby's gender I did a bunch of research and it said that you can see the gender at 10 weeks. I don't know if this is correct, but I am going to write the story like it is! :)**

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Chapter 5:

"...Girl!" Percy and Annabeth sighed. 'Thank the Gods!' they both thought at the same time. Percy had wanted a little daughter he could dote on, while Annabeth just plainly wanted a girl. The nurse left the room to grab Annabeth's meds, and Percy went over and sat by Annabeth.

"So…" He said, trying hard not to seem jubilant. " Another Jackson girl. What am I ever going to do?" Annabeth giggled, very un-Annabeth like. Her eyes seemed brighter than usual, and her usual straight-line mouth was curling up towards her forehead.

"Perce, we're going to be parents!" She grasped his hand as she spoke. She was so happy.

"What are we going to name it?" He asked, looking into her grey eyes. She giggled cheerfully, sounding like a wind chime on a breezy day. He smiled as well, feeling a swelling feeling in his chest that came from being happy that Annabeth was happy.

The nurse walked back in with a handful of pamphlets, and a few bottles of medicine.

"Now, " The nurse, who's nameplate read "**Cheyenne" **on it. "You take this one," She said gesturing towards the blue bottle. "With your dinner. And this one," she said pointing at the orange one. "Right before you go to bed. I've had ladies in here come in with diarrhea and all sorts of bad stuff because they take this with breakfast, not before bed. So be a good woman and take it before you snuggle up to handsome over there, okay?" Annabeth blushed.

"I think I got it. Thanks, Cheyenne for helping us today. We really appreciate it." Percy grabbed her hand, and strolled out of the room.

* * *

Back at their house, Annabeth and Percy were trying to figure out what room they would use as their daughters' room.

"I like the room that faces the ocean." Percy said, a pleading look plastered on his face.

"So, at night when you, I mean, _**we **_are up at three in the morning, she can listen to the waves." Annabeth nodded, but then opened her mouth.

"I think she can take the room closest to the forest, so then when she gets older we can tell her stories about the wood nymphs and sprites that live in the forest." Percy nodded as well, but spoke again.

"But, aren't babies supposed to listen to calming music, like those wave sound makers? She would have a no-batteries-needed one if she slept over there." Annabeth clenched her fists.

"Though, babies are supposed to listen to Mozart too, aren't they? We can play "The Magic Flute" on the iPod and tell her that animals are coming out of the forest!" She cried, clutching the small bump on her stomach.

The argument continued on, until Annabeth finally agreed that she could have the room by the ocean. Percy looked very pleased with his wife, while she merely looked disgruntled.

"Hey!" He said, looking into her stormy eyes. "I'll make dinner, how about that?" She brightened at the thought of not having to cook, and ran downstairs to watch him. Percy grabbed the pasta making add-on to their KitchenAid mixer, and ran some pre-made dough through the machine. He added that to a boiling pot of water, and then started on the pasta sauce. Usually he would've only pulled out a can of Ragu, but tonight he was trying to reward his extravagant wife for everything she'd done for him. He grabbed a tube of hamburger from the freezer, and some tomatoes from the fridge. He cut the tomatoes and threw them into the food processor. After that, he put the sauce and the meat in a pan on the stove, the mixture sizzled in the pan.

"Hey, honey?" Annabeth asked from the kitchen table, which was a dark wood with bright yellow chairs. She opened the blue bottle of pills and took one. She grabbed her glass of water and swallowed.

"Yes, sweetheart?" Percy answered, gazing at his wife.

"When are we going to tell the others?" She questioned, looking seriously at Percy, who was playing with the sauce. He drained the pasta and loaded two portions, one slightly smaller than the other on two plates, and threw a dollop of sauce on each. He brought the plates to the table, and opened the packaged baguette he'd bought earlier.

"I don't know. When would you like to tell them? I mean, I think our parents should know first. Then Grover and Juniper, and then Thalia and Piper and Jason and all those guys." He replied, buttering a piece of bread.

"How about we invite our parents over for dinner tomorrow? My dads' in town for a book tour, and Athena is always available. Are Sally and Paul free tomorrow?" She asked him, spinning her fork lazily in the pasta. Percy considered this, but then banged his fist on the table, and grunted.

"I have the party at work tomorrow, remember?" He said, thinking of his office. He worked in a section of the U.N, to help control and reserve water levels and quality.

"Oh, right. How about the next day, Saturday? My dad's still here, and then your folks can come, and Athena can too." Annabeth said, getting up to grab another plate of pasta. Percy nodded.

"Okay, that'll work. I'll ring up my mom and Paul, and we'll be all set." Annabeth suddenly dropped her fork, and gasped in surprise.

"Percy!" She exclaimed, making him fall onto the ground and crawl over to her.

"What is it? Does it hurt? Do we need to call the doctor?" He said shakily, scared that something was wrong.

"No! It's just that we forgot Poseidon! We need to invite him too!" She exclaimed, patting his head affectionately. Percy sighed in relief.

"Great Hades, Annabeth, I thought that the baby had,like, kicked or something!" Annabeth's tinkling laugh was escaping through her mouth again. Percy smiled affectionately at his wife.

"You know what Annabeth?" He asked, looking into her beautiful slate colored eyes.

"What, Seaweed brain?" She replied, going to grab a dessert.

"I'm so proud of you. I know that the next seven and a half months are going to be tough, but it's going to be _**so **_worth it. I just hope that our baby girl will have your eyes, and your laugh, your hair, your brains, your _**everything**_. You are just so beautiful and kind and thoughtful that I want our daughter to be just like you." He said, pulling her up into his arms and rocking her gently back and forth. Annabeth started to tear up, her eyes turned a shade of molten iron, and suddenly a crystallized tear dripped down onto her cheek. Percy took his index finger, and gently pushed the tear off her face.

"Don't cry, I love you." He said, now stroking her hair ever so softly.

"I love you." She whispered, flinging both arms around his neck and pressing her body against his, making it possible that he could feel the slight bulge of her stomach. "And I wish that our daughter will be exactly like you. _Your _eyes, _Your _courage, _Your _smile. I just love you so, so, so, much…" She mumbled, almost inaudible to anyone, but she had whispered close enough to Percy that he could hear.

"Hey," He said, looking at Annabeth.

"Yes?" She replied, looking confused.

"How did you not know that you were pregnant? I mean, don't you girls know when you are?" He asked sheepishly. His tanned cheeks turned a bright shade of red, making him look like he'd trudged through a snowstorm.

"I honestly thought that I was so stressed about everything, and since I've been so busy at work I guess it didn't hit me that it'd passed two times." She replied, her cheeks turning as red as his.

"Oh," He said, pausing to lean in and kiss her on the lips. "Well, that doesn't matter now. We've got everything under control, and our daughter's going to be just fine." He said.

"Our daughter," Annabeth echoed. "It feels so weird to say that, doesn't it?" She asked him, looking bemused.

"Not really," Percy said. "I've always wanted my first kid to be a girl. That way, the youngest one would be a boy." Annabeth laughed.

"And how would you know that? What if I want all of our kids to have a brother and a sister? Then we'd have to have four!" She said, pulling on his shirt collar.

"That' always what I had in mind, honestly." He said, picking up the dishes on the table.

Annabeth nodded. She'd always wanted four children too. She picked up her glass and plate, and brought them over to the dishwasher.

"Allow me, Mrs. Jackson." Percy said in a funny, cartoonish voice.

"Thank you, Mr. Jackson." Annabeth replied in a mock British accent. She went upstairs and paused by the door to the nursery. Even though they hadn't painted or bought furniture, she knew that their daughter would love the room as much as her parents would. _**Their daughter. **_

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**That's it for now! Remember, four reviews, or no Chapter 6! **

**Also, I am going to be taking suggestions for her name. Please do a middle and a first name. I cannot guarantee that your name will be picked, much less anyone's, but I will take them into serious consideration. PM me with your name(s) please. Review it up, peeps!**

**Love you! **

**L.L**


	6. A Dinner Fiasco

Chapter 6

"Annabeth! They're here!" Percy called from the spacious dining room. He was dressed in her favourite sea blue polo shirt, and a pair of crisp, khaki pants.

"Coming!" Annabeth called from their upstairs bedroom. She looked around and felt a surge of pride in herself. She had single handedly decorated their entire house, from the coral and teal coloured master bedroom to the neon yellow and dark wood kitchen. She gazed at herself in their vintage mirror, and thought that she looked pretty good. Her hair was down in a simple, loose braid. She was wearing a matching blue pencil skirt, and a flowing white blouse.

"Honey? Are you coming?" Percy called from the banister again.

"Yup! Be down in a sec!" She hastily replied, and slipped on a pair of simple sandals.

She raced out into the hallway, and paused by the baby's room. She exhaled, still not believing that she was carrying a miracle around with her everywhere, like a backpack or a purse. She rubbed her stomach, and continued downstairs.

* * *

"Annabeth!" called Sally when she reached the bottom of the stairs.

"Sally!" She looked around at the others in the dining room. "Paul! Dad! Mom! Thanks for coming!" Her mother cocked an eyebrow.

"You're, er, welcome, Annabeth." Athena said, looking slightly suspicious. "Now, what are we having for dinner?" She asked, straightening her suit. Her iPhone was vibrating in her pocket, but Athena was ignoring it, unlike her ordered personality.

"Uh, Percy and I made pasta with these crazy blue organic noodles we found at the farmer's market. Annabeth grinned. "And I made garlic bread, which honestly looks really good. I might go snag a piece before we thank the Gods, if that's okay with you guys." Percy looked at her, a sort of warning.

"Annabeth," Her father exclaimed. "You hate garlic bread! I remember when you were little, you used to say that it tasted like sweaty feet." Annabeth felt the colour of her face adjust slightly, to a paler shade. '_Have I said too much?' _She thought, looking at her guests' faces to see if it had dawned on them yet.

"Dad, but this isn't the freezer-burnt kind that you used to make." She said, trying to smile at him. "This is Sally's recipe that she gave me, and it's supposed to be really good for you, too." The adults smiled.

"We can go into the dining room now, everyone." Percy said. He hung back from the crowd so that he could wrap a constricting arm around Annabeth's waist, but he was still cautious to not put any pressure on her growing bump. He bent down and lightly brushed his lips against her soft forehead. She smiled, and kissed him on the cheek, ever so lightly.

* * *

"So Percy," Athena asked, lazily twisting the oddly coloured pasta around her fork. "How is work going? Have you made any improvements in water purification?" Percy looked down at his plate.

"Um, see, in our department we aren't trying to _**purify **_water, we're trying to _**preserve**_ it and keep the quality level at the one it is now." He blushed, and reached to the left and grabbed Annabeth's hand.

"Good for you, son!" Poseidon said, knocking over the bread basket as he thrust out his hand in a thumbs up. Athena looked at him disapprovingly.

"Now, Poseidon, if his organization doesn't try to purify the last remaining sources of water on the planet then-" Athena started.

"Wait, Athena, that's not what I meant-" Percy exclaimed shooting a desperate glance around the entire table.

"Athena, how about we drop the subject-" Paul said gently, but Athena looked enraged.

"If his," Athena started, and made finger quotation marks. " 'Organization' doesn't help with our bad water supply, then what is everyone going to-"

"Athena, you don't even have to drink water, you just need nectar and Berocca or whatever-" Sally said, now also looking mad.

"_**Berocca?**_" Both of the Gods said. They looked livid, Athena's eyes were turning a dangerous shade of midnight black, and Poseidon's were turning the colour of the churning ocean before lightning could strike it.

"Berocca is an English multi-vitamin tablet!" Athena said, looking infuriated.

"Stop!" Annabeth exclaimed, looking at the havoc that was supposed to be a casual dinner party. She looked at Percy, and mouthed the words, '_Help me' . _The party guests were all shouting at each other, even Percy. Poseidon had his hand squashed in the mashed potatoes, while Paul Blofis had grabbed a steak knife and waved it around threateningly. Athena was screeching at Percy, whose face had was kaleidoscoping from ashen to a deadly purple. Sally was trying to break up the fight, but then got pulled into it as well with Annabeth's father, Fredrick.

"Stop!" Annabeth yelled, desperate for her guests to regain their attention to her. "Stop! _**Stop!**_" She finally screamed as loud as she could, and everything fell silent.

"We didn't invite you over so that you could all freakin' scream at each other!" She cried, looking miserable. "We invited you over here to tell you something really important that's happened to us, but I guess you don't want to know because you are too busy fighting!" Her face was ashen, the screaming had taken up too much of her energy. Sally stepped forward from the crowd.

"What did you want to tell us, sweetie?" She asked, her facial expressions soft and apologizing.

"That I'm pregnant! But I guess that Percy's job is way more important than that!" The adults' faces were shocked. Annabeth then turned, and ran up the stairs into the nursery, sobbing.

* * *

Annabeth must've fallen asleep on the pile of ancient blankets, because the next thing she knew, she was being lifted up, and placed in her own bed.

"Perce," She mumbled, her voice barely audible.

"Yes, sweetheart?" He asked, his breath tickling her left ear.

"Can you get me my pajamas? This skirt is way too tight." She muttered, turning over and opening an eye.

"Of course, darling." He said, and then he bent down, and kissed her eyelid, causing her to close it. She smiled, and pulled herself up enough that she could reach his face, and kissed his soft lips.

"Lemme go get your pj's, and then we can do this, okay?" He said, his hands trailing down her neck, and up to cup her face.

"Okay." She replied, and fell back on the bed. She still couldn't believe that she had the best two things in life ever, a wonderful husband, and a daughter, even if she wasn't born yet.

"Here they are, sweetums!" Percy's voice exclaimed out of the blue. She raised her hand, and felt the soft cotton pajamas underneath her fingers.

"Thanks, let me go into the bathroom and get changed first, and then-" She began, but Percy cut her off.

"Go to the bathroom to get changed? Annabeth, are you kidding me?" He asked, a sly grin plastered on his face.

"Well, Mr. Jackson," She replied, her expression stony. " I am not as open as I was about 2 and a half months ago, especially in the area of undressing." Percy started to giggle.

"And your point being?" He asked, now looking concerned. Annabeth's face had gotten red.

"I'm kinda fat now, and more, er, developed in areas than I was before I was carrying our daughter around." She said, and moved towards the door to the bathroom.

"Annabeth?" Percy asked, making her turn around. "Don't ever think that I don't want to see you. You aren't fat, you just have an extra person to take care of." She walked towards him, looking cautious.

"You're sure that you'd want me to change out here?" Percy nodded.

"Of course. I love you that much that I don't care how big you've gotten." She whipped around, one leg in her pants and one of the hooks of her bra unfastened.

"What did you just say?" She asked, her voice shaking.

"Nothing, nothing." He said, looking amused. She looked in the mirror self-consciously.

"Am I really that fat now that you can tell?" She asked, looking at his expression.

"No, it's just, when you're three-quarters of the way undressed, you can tell." He said, walking over to her, and enveloping her in a warm embrace. She felt him undo her bra and she put out her arms, as if sleepwalking. He took the swinging straps off of her, and carefully pulled her shirt over her head.

"Thank you, Mr. Jackson." She murmured, as he picked her legs up and carried her into their bed.

"You are welcome, Mrs. Jackson." He said, kissing her forehead. "Goodnight, sweetheart." He murmured, looking at her face after his long kiss. Though, to his surprise, she was already dreaming. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders, and drifted off as well.

* * *

**Thanks, everyone for the reviews! I am so happy that you guys enjoy it! Please review again (no specific number this time…) and please PM any name ideas! I am going to have a chapter when they decide on the name pretty soon, so send any names in! **

**xx Liz Logan**


	7. Everybody's Got News

Chapter 7

**March**

Annabeth woke up to the sound of birds chirping. She turned over, and saw Percy's sleeping face mirroring hers. She gently scooted over, and kissed his nose. He stirred, and his eyelids fluttered open like wings on a butterfly.

" 'Morning." He said, rubbing his eyes like a small child. Percy leaned in, and kissed her cheek. Annabeth smiled, and rubbed her growing stomach gingerly. She was only four months in, but she was now very large.

"What are we going to do today?" She asked, swinging her legs off the bed, and waddling over to the bathroom door. Percy hurriedly got out of bed, and opened the door for her. She swatted his hand playfully.

"I can open a door, you know." She exclaimed, looking hurt. He bent down and kissed her nose in apology, and she leaned up to kiss his full lips.

"I know," He said, gazing into her grey eyes. "I just feel like helping you. Is that so bad?" Annabeth patted his head, and went into the bathroom. Percy heard the shower door open, and then the sound of rain on a sidewalk flooded through the door.

"I'm taking a shower!" She called, the squeaky hinges on the door opening again.

"Okay! I'll go make breakfast! " Percy replied, opening the door to go downstairs. He then left Annabeth in the privacy of the bathroom.

* * *

Percy pulled out the pancake mix from the neon yellow cupboard, and sighed. He'd realized that he had never made any breakfast food, apart from cereal. He turned the box around, and looked for instructions. '_Oh, Hades.' _He thought, looking at the directions, which even though seemed simple, were very complex for him to follow. He pulled out one of their mixing bowls, which were ceramic and had little fish on them. (A wedding gift from Tyson) Percy then dumped the mix in the bowl, and filled it with a cup of water, and one of oil. He grabbed the shiny metal-thingy that Annabeth had said was a whisk, and mixed the batter together. He then heated the pan, and put four dollops of dough into the corners of the pan. Percy got out the flipper-thing, and turned all of the pancakes over, revealing golden-brown undersides. He sighed in relief, and continued making pancakes. He even got so comfortable, that he put blueberries in them for Annabeth.

* * *

Annabeth glided into the room as Percy was flipping the last pancakes.

"Mmm," She murmured, hugging Percy's shoulders. "What smells so good?" He jerked around, and his breath was stolen from him. Annabeth in his eyes, had never been more gorgeous. Even though her belly was swollen like she was hiding a small balloon under her flowing white dress, Percy still thought she looked like a goddess.

"Oh gods," He exclaimed, kissing her cheek. "You look incredible." Annabeth giggled her special wind-chime titter.

"No I don't, Percy." She remarked, smoothing her dress, and trying to suck her stomach in. Percy walked over, and kissed her.

"Don't try and suck it in, dearest." He said, looking down and kissing her stomach. "You still are as beautiful as the day I saw you." Annabeth smiled, and started to hum, "_Love Story." _

"Percy?" She asked, looking up from their kiss. "Can we eat now?" Percy laughed, and nodded quickly. He ran over to the table, and pulled open a chair for her, making Annabeth giggle.

"Percy! I can do things by myself, you do realize that, right?" She said, grabbing a handful of pancakes and piling them on her plate.

"I know," Percy said through mouthfuls of pancakes. "But, I wanna help foo!" Annabeth grabbed a napkin, and wiped his face clean of pancake remnants.

"There!" She exclaimed, looking pleased with herself. "You silly old bear." Percy raised an eyebrow.

"Did you just call me an old bear?" Annabeth blushed, her face turning the colour of the dozen red roses on the table.

"It's a line from _**Winnie the Pooh**_. You are a silly old bear if you didn't know that!" She said, picking up another pancake.

"Hey! I have an idea!" Percy exclaimed, looking pleased. Annabeth waved her hand, as if to say, "_go on." _

"Let's name her Winnie! Winnie Jackson, has a nice ring to it, don't you think?" Annabeth burst out laughing. She accidentally spat bits of chewed up pancake all of the table, leaving her husband speechless.

"Are you kidding?" She asked, looking amused. Percy ruffled his hair impatiently.

"Well," He replied huffily. "What names were you thinking of?" Annabeth whipped out her iPhone.

"Um," She said, peering down at the screen. "I have a few that I thought you would like."

"And they are?" Percy asked, drizzling maple syrup over his pancakes.

"Uh, I had Ariadne Grace, because Ariadne is part of Greek mythology, and Grace from Thalia. I also have Andromeda Taylor, because of the whole mythology thing-" Percy interrupted her.

"Where does the Taylor come from?" He asked, watching the realization dawn on her face.

"No," He muttered, looking shocked. "Not _Taylor Swift_?" She nodded, ashamed of herself.

"But you hate Taylor Swift!" He exclaimed, looking at his wife.

"I know! I know! I just thought, maybe our daughter would be as successful as her if we included her name in somewhere…" Her voice trailed off, and Annabeth's eyes were now fixed on the windows facing the backyard. Percy cleared his throat loudly.

"Any other ones?" He asked, regaining her attention.

"Um, let me see," She said, her head now angled downwards toward the screen. "Oh yeah! Remember how in one of our biggest battles, you had Pandora's pithos, and the only thing inside was hope?" Percy nodded, unsure where this was going. "I thought, maybe, we could name her Hope. As in Hope Silena Jackson." Percy saw the tears form in his wife's' eyes. Even though it had been more than ten years since the battle, thinking about, much less talking about Silena and the fallen comrades made her a bit touchy. Percy put his hand on top of hers, and squeezed it gently.

"It's okay. Shhh, it's okay." He whispered, as Annabeth stood up, tears flowing down her face, and sat in his lap. He rocked her back and forth, as she cried soft, elegant tears.

* * *

Percy picked up his iPhone. He quickly sent a joint message to the Graces, the Zhangs, Leo and Rachel Valdez, Nico di Angelo, and Thalia.

"_**Party at our house! Bring food and stuff." **_ He texted, hoping that everyone received it. He ran upstairs, and saw Annabeth bustling around in the nursery. They had gone to Babies "R" Us the previous weekend, and picked up a whole nursery set, along with paint and accessories. They had decided on a light pink and dove grey room, with a matching bed set and white furniture. Annabeth was busy hanging a mobile of hippocampi on the ceiling, making it look like the glass fish were swimming around the room.

"Knock, knock." Percy exclaimed, walking in and hugging Annabeth. She wobbled on the step ladder, causing Percy to hold on to her even more tight.

"Lemme go, Perce." She said, trying to hang another fish. "I'll just fall if you keep holding on to me." He reluctantly let go, and gazed at the room.

"Wow," He said, looking at every detail, from the translucent pink curtains that hung on the rod, to the miniature collection of stuffed pink and grey owls and sea creatures on the window seat.

"This room is perfect!" He exclaimed, kissing his wife. "Great job, sweetheart." Annabeth hugged him and sighed happily.

" I did do a good job, didn't I?" She said, looking pleased. Percy kissed her again.

"Yes, you did. Oh, and I almost forgot, everyone's coming over tonight." Annabeth nodded.

"Okay, I can deal with that. Did you tell them to bring food, though?" She asked, her hands now placed on her hips. Percy nodded.

"Yup. Everything you asked for in a text."

"Good." She replied, looking around the room. "Let's go set up in the back. You get the chairs and the tables. I'll get the lights and decorations." Percy nodded, kissing his wife for the third time.

"Let's go."

* * *

"Hey guys! Thanks for coming!" Percy exclaimed, looking at all of the guests. In the back by their willow tree, sat Nico and Thalia, who held each others' hands. Piper and Jason, each holding a 9 month old toddler sat in the front by the grill. Hazel and Frank sat over by the door, each fussing over a small daughter. Leo and Rachel were sitting on the diving board, being careful not to fall off. Annabeth and Percy were, well, in the pool. He had made a sort of levitating water fountain, which let them see all of their guests.

"So, now that we have you all here, we have a pretty important announcement to make." Percy said. The audience was now excited, with side conversations audible. Annabeth cleared her throat. Because it was a breezy day, you couldn't tell that she was pregnant, because of the wind that gusted in and out of her dress.

"Guys! Guys! _**Guys!**_" She exclaimed, and everyone fell silent, it was a total déjà vu.

"So, Percy and I brought all of you guys here so that we could tell you that…" Annabeth said, looking at Percy. They had choreographed this part.

"We're pregnant!" They exclaimed. Their friends burst into applause. "It's a girl, too!" Annabeth said, looking at all of her besties. Percy lowered the water platform, and together they stepped onto dry land.

* * *

"Why didn't you tell us sooner?" Piper asked, holding Helen, who was now called Elle in her arms. Annabeth shrugged.

"We were going to, but when things went ary with the parents finding out, we just thought that we'd keep the secret for a little longer." Annabeth explained. Hazel, Piper, and Rachel nodded. Thalia patted Annabeth on the back.

"Thank Zeus that you finally decided to have a kid," Thalia said. "It took only, what, 6 months of marriage? Hazel was pregnant with Marie after 2!" Hazel nodded sheepishly, and looked down at her beautiful four year old. Piper smiled.

"It doesn't always have to be right after the honeymoon. Jason and I found out I was having the twins after 4, so it doesn't have to be fresh after they tie the knot." Piper exclaimed, putting Elle down on the floor, so she could play with Marie. Thalia looked disgusted.

"All right, let's get off this topic. Can we talk about something else?" She exclaimed, looking ready to puke.

"Have you thought of any names yet?" Hazel asked, pulling a sleepy two year old Emily up into her arms. Annabeth nodded.

"The ones we've liked so far are Ariadne Grace, Andromeda Taylor, and Hope Silena." Piper squealed. Elle had just pulled a stack of paper plates off the table, and they had scattered.

"Those are really good names!" Hazel exclaimed, putting Emily down on the outdoor sofa. Marie walked up to Hazel and put her hand on her mothers' stomach.

"Mama, when will I be able to feel it?" She asked, looking curious. Hazel blushed.

"Go find Daddy, honey." She said hurriedly, but the group of women knew better.

"Marie, can you come here?" Piper asked sweetly, her voice dripping with charmspeak. Marie walked over to her adoptive aunt, and sat down.

"What did you mean when you asked your momma when will you feel it?" Piper asked, looking angelic. Hazel looked at her daughter, and then nodded, as if to say, _Go ahead._

"Mama said today that I'm going to be another big sister!" Marie said, looking pleased with herself. The gaggle of girls turned towards Hazel, who blushed.

"Surprise!" She muttered sarcastically. The women squealed.

"How many months?" Piper asked, her eyes wide.

"Two. We just found out today." Hazel replied, looking at Frank, who was surrounded by the group of husbands, who looked like they were congratulating him.

"I guess he told them." Hazel said, gesturing towards the men. Rachel sighed.

"Isn't that just awesome?" She said dreamily. Thalia looked at her, trying to detect falseness.

"How come you and Leo don't have a little fire maker running around?" She asked, and Rachel blushed.

"He says that he doesn't want one at the moment." Rachel said, straightening her shirt. The group women sighed.

"Oh, stupid men!" Piper exclaimed. "He will someday, though." She picked up Elle, and kissed her forehead lightly.

"I think we better hit the road, you don't want to see James when he hasn't been fed." Piper said, and leaned in to hug Annabeth and Hazel. "Congrats, you two! Annie, I will be planning a baby shower soon. You too, Hazel!" They both grimaced. "See you all soon!" Piper grabbed Jason and James, and they left.

Hazel sighed, looking at her two girls, who were fast asleep on the couch.

"Frank!" She called, and he rushed over to her side. "Can you help me with the girls?" He picked both of them up, and grabbed the diaper bag.

"Thanks for the party, Annabeth." He said, looking at Hazel. 'And, uh, congrats on the little Jackson. Perce said that we'd be in touch soon, so see ya later." Hazel hugged her friend, and they departed as well.

* * *

Once everyone was gone, the two parents-to-be went inside. Annabeth grabbed the giant one gallon bucket of chocolate ice cream that was in their freezer, and Percy popped in one of Annabeth's favourite movies, _**Angels and Demons. **_ As they sat on the couch, eating the ice cream straight out of the tub, they realized that they'd gotten closer than ever before these past few months.

"Annabeth?" Percy asked, looking into her stormy grey eyes.

"Mhm?" She replied, her mouth full of ice cream.

"Do you think we'll be able to do it?" He asked, looking worried.

"Do what?" She questioned, returning his worried expression.

"Parenting. I was taking care of James today, and I don't think I'll be a good dad." He said.

Annabeth laughed.

"Of course you'll be able to do it. We'll be able to do it. Together." She said, kissing his cheek lightly.

"Together." He repeated stupidly.

"Yes, Seaweed Brain. Together."

* * *

**Sorry for the **_**super **_**long chapter, but I am not sure when I'll get internet like this again, so I had to make it count! Seven reviews, my lovelies, or no Chapter 8! PM any other names please! **

**xx Liz Logan**


	8. Counting Down

Chapter 8

**May**

"Look, girls! It's the beautiful, the spectacular, Annabeth Jackson!" Piper exclaimed, pulling Annabeth down her own set of stairs. Annabeth was now 7 months pregnant, so she looked as if she was now holding a beach ball under her dress. Nobody cared though, except the ever self-concious Annabeth, who wore slimming clothes to make her seem less weighted.

"Annabeth, you look great today!" Hazel said, rubbing her own small bump. Piper beamed. She had helped Annabeth do the entire baby shower, as promised. Even though it had been seriously stressful for Annabeth, in the end she admired Piper's persistence to make this work.

* * *

"Alright, now it's time to open presents!" Piper exclaimed, ushering in all of Annabeth's friends into the cozy living room. Annabeth looked at the towering pile of gifts, all wrapped in a million shades of pink.

"You guys didn't have to bring me presents, you know." Annabeth said, blushing furiously. Her best friends laughed, looking pleased. They knew that she didn't want gifts, but they went out of their way to get her the best things for her little daughter.

"Okay, so this ones' from me," Piper said, passing her a large, bubble gum coloured, rectangular box. Annabeth ripped open the paper, and opened the top of the box. Inside, their were at least twenty different outfits, all from baby Gap, which Annabeth had admired one day when she and Piper went shopping.

"Piper! Oh my gods!" She exclaimed. "They're beautiful! But how in the world did you get them?"

"I went to the store and bought them, silly!" Piper said, beaming ear to ear. She then grabbed a small, easter pink parcel off the bottom of the floor.

"This one is from Rachel, right?" Piper asked. Rachel nodded, and stood up.

"Before you open it, I have some news I would like to share with all of you." said Rachel, looking cheerful. "Leo and I are going to have a baby!" The girls sat, shocked, and then clapped.

"Finally!" Thalia exclaimed, looking at Rachel, almost enviously. Piper settled them down.

"Back to presents! Back to presents!" She exclaimed. Annabeth opened Rachel's parcel. Inside was a toddler-sized dagger, modeled after Annabeth's.

"Leo made it, so when she's old enough she can fight alongside her mommy and daddy." Annabeth started to tear up.

'It's beautiful!" She exclaimed, looking at the dagger. She began to cry little tears, miniature silver drops fell on the floor.

"Are you okay, Annabeth?" The girls asked hurriedly. She nodded, and wiped her eyes.

"Stupid hormones." She declared, looking at her friends. They all laughed, and continued on with the shower.

* * *

"Annabeth! I'm home!" called Percy from the lower level. "Where are you, sweetheart?" He asked, looking around.

"Up in the babies' room!" She exclaimed from upstairs. He hurriedly dropped his coat and briefcase, and ran up the stairs to see her. He got to the door of the nursery, and strolled in to see his wife, who was sitting in the pink and white rocking chair.

"There's my beautiful wife!" Percy exclaimed, sweeping his wife off her feet and into his arms.

"Perce, you're going to fall over, I've gained 50 pounds since November!" Annabeth said, looking scared.

"I'm not going to drop my wife and daughter. Besides, I bench press more than you!" He said, kissing her on the cheek. "So, how was the baby shower?" He asked.

"Good." She replied. "We got some good presents for the baby."

"Like what?" He asked, looking around the room to see if anything was new.

"Piper and Jason bought the entire Baby Gap for us, and Rachel and Leo made a little, teeny knife for her when she's old enough to fight." Annabeth said. "Hazel and Frank gave us enchanted baby monitors, and Thalia gave us ear plugs." Percy cocked his head in confusion.

"Ear plugs?" He asked. Annabeth nodded slowly.

"Yeah, for when the baby's up at night. Apparently, these kind block out any possible noise." Annabeth said, kissing Percy lightly. He laughed, and kissed her back.

"I love you so much." He murmured, looking into her eyes. She smiled.

"Me too, Seaweed Brain." Annabeth replied.

"Hey, when's the baby due?" He asked, placing his hand on her stomach.

"July 2nd, the day after we dropped into Tartarus." She said, her eyes dropping down towards the floor.

"That's a good day." He said, curving his hand around her face. He suddenly felt a small _thump thump_, and looked up excitedly.

"What is that?" Percy asked joyously.

"That's the baby kicking." Annabeth replied. "Can we please stop calling her 'the baby'? Can we decide on a name?" Percy furrowed his eyebrows.

"Sure, but which name are we going to use?" He asked. "Shouldn't you get to pick?"

"I don't have to. I mean, I have a name that I really like, but you can still get a say in this." She said, gazing around the nursery.

"What name do you want her to have?" He asked, walking across the room and sitting on the rocking chair. He then gestured for her to sit on his lap. She walked over to him, and sat.

"Hope Silena, I already told you but-" She said, but then Percy cut her off.

"So we'll name her Hope Silena. Case closed." He said. She stared at him in disbelief.

"Are you sure?" She asked, looking into his emerald eyes.

"Yup. If that's what you want, then that's what we'll do." Percy said, kissing her.

"I love you." She said, looking at him adoringly.

"I love you too, Wise Girl." He said, kissing her again. He then whisked her off her feet, and they went downstairs, and outside to watch the ocean.

* * *

"Feel like a swim?" Percy asked, looking at the dark blue water.

"Nope." Annabeth replied, looking at him stonily.

"Me neither. How about we just sit on the bottom again?" He asked pleadingly.

"Nope." She said, now looking annoyed.

"Please?" Percy whined.

"Nope."

"Can you stop saying 'nope'?"

"Nope."

"Oh my gods, Annabeth!"

"What?"

"What do you want to do?" He asked, looking at her face, which was orange from the sunset.

"Sit here, with you." She replied.

"Okay, we can do that."

"Yep."

"Oh gods."

"What?"

"You will never stop, will you?"

"Nope."

"I'm not even going to reply."

"Okay, you do that."

They sat there until the sun was swallowed by the sea. Percy stroked her blonde hair, and carried a sleeping Annabeth upstairs, and fell asleep next to his beautiful wife. His last thought before he drifted off was, "**_I'm so lucky to have her." _**

* * *

**Hey guys! So, I didn't get the 7 reviews, I actually only got 2. (not happy with that) Though, I had internet access so I decided to throw you a bone, which, in this case is Chapter 8. Please, please, please review! I really want at least 8 (for chapter 8, get it?) I love you all, but please don't make me sad! Review! **

**xx Liz Logan**

**P.S REVIEW!**


	9. We have Hope

**July**

Annabeth fanned herself lazily, trying to desperately change the hundred degree climate.

Percy was sitting on their teal couch, his back hunched, and his elbows resting on his outward turned knees.

"Sweetheart?" He asked, looking at his wife, who was sweating buckets in the New York heat.

"Yeah, Seaweed Brain?" She replied, trying to style her mouth into a hopeful smile, but the pain she was enduring conquered it.

"It's been almost two weeks since the due date. Do you think that Hope's okay?" asked Percy worriedly.

"I think she's fine," His wife replied. "She's just going to be a big baby." Percy nodded, and grabbed the television remote. Annabeth clucked disapprovingly.

"What?" Percy asked, looking suspicious.

"We aren't going to sit around like lazy Cyclops all day. We need to get out and do something." She said.

"Annabeth, sweetheart, you are nine months pregnant. Do you think I am going to let you go out to the overcrowded public beach, and have your water break from the stress of Apollo above us? No way, José!" Percy said, reaching for his wifes' hand.

"I wasn't thinking the overcrowded public beach." Annabeth whined.

"Where were you thinking of going?" Percy asked.

"That cute little boardwalk down the road." She said, her metallic eyes sparkling. Percy sighed.

"Is that really what you want?" He asked, looking defeated.

"Yes, Seaweed Brain." She replied, squeezing his hand.

"Then I surrender." He said, smiling back at his wife. She beamed.

* * *

Annabeth stared at all of the moms with their little babies. '_One day that'll be me.' _She thought, smiling to herself. Percy grasped her hand, and smiled.

"We're going to be parents someday, you know." He said, looking at the cotton candy booth on his right.

"I think I've realized this at some point." She said jokingly.

"Want some cotton candy?" Percy replied. Annabeth nodded.

"Pink or blue?" He asked, looking at the selections.

"I'll get pink, you get blue." She said, knowing how much he loved blue.

"Okay, you wait right here." He said, looking at his wife as if someone would steal her.

"I'm fine. I'm gonna go use the bathroom in that store over there, and I'll come right back." She said.

"Are you sure that you'll be okay?" Percy asked worriedly.

"I'll be fine. Besides, I have my cell if something goes ary, okay Seaweed Brain?" She said. Percy nodded reluctantly, and watched her as she pecked his cheek lightly before she disappeared into the crowd.

"That'll be three dollars, Perseus Jackson." A slithering voice said behind him. The cotton candy vendor, which had once been a wizened lady, was now a _emposai, _Kelli to be exact.

"I can't believe you actually survived the Giant War, and married **her**." Kelli said, her voice dripping with jealousy. "I thought you had once liked me, Percy. You once almost gave me a kiss. How about you try again, and see what happens?" She cooed. Percy got out Riptide.

"I don't have time for this, Kelli. I need the stupid cotton candy, that's it. Not another war, a bag of processed sugar." Percy whined.

"No, you don't have time for this. I believe that you'll get a call from your wife in five, four," She began. "Three, two, one-" Percy's phone vibrated in his pocket. He kept his sword up, but answered the iPhone.

"Hello?" He questioned.

"Percy!" Annabeth's voice rang out from the metal box.

"Annabeth! What happened?" He asked, his voice now shrill.

"My water broke! You need to come right away!" She squealed.

"One sec, sweetie. I need to finish this ugly monster in front of me, and then I'll come straight away." Percy said lazily.

"Monster? Perseus Alexander Jackson, you better fight that thing right now, otherwise-" Annabeth began, but Percy clicked the **End Call **button.

"Where were we?" asked Percy, and sliced his three foot long sword into Kelli's white aproned chest. She screamed, and disintegrated into yellow sand. He then took off towards the convenience store Annabeth was in, leaving the cotton candy.

* * *

"Percy!" Annabeth screamed when she saw him. He picked her up, and ran out to their car, a brand new Toyota.

"We need to get to the hospital, right now!" Annabeth yelled, her face purple and clenched.

"I know, sweetheart. It'll take us ten minutes to get there, so you have to be strong. Be strong for Hope." Percy cooed, letting Annabeth clutch his hand and squeeze the living daylights out of it.

"Be strong for Hope." She muttered repetitively, almost dozing off.

* * *

They finally got to the hospital, and got Annabeth into a wheelchair. Percy hurriedly took out his phone and sent a joint message to all of their family and friends.

"_**Annabeth's having the baby! Get 2 St. Francis' right away!" **_He texted to them. He then returned to Annabeth's side. The nurse, who was the same one from the clinic, Cheyenne, got Annabeth out of the chair and into a hospital bed. She then helped her change into a gown, and had her take deep breaths.

"Percy?" She asked, looking feebly at her husband.

"Yes, princess?" He asked, looking worried.

"What's the date?" She questioned. He looked down at his watch.

"Ten thirty seven pm on July 15th." He replied, stroking her blonde hair, which was now matted with sweat.

"Tell me about the monster today." She asked dreamily. He then went into a full on account of how he fought the _empousa, _while Annabeth chewed on ice. She laughed her unique giggle when he told her how he stabbed her. She opened her eyes, and traced her hand around Percy's face.

"I love you, Seaweed Brain." She said, her eyes dripping with crystallized tears.

"I love you with all my heart, Wise Girl." Percy said, wiping the tears coming out of the corners of his eyes. The doctor, a kindly woman with the name tag **Dr. Kayla Solace**.

"I think Annabeth is ready to be taken into the delivery room." Dr. Solace said, looking at the contractions monitor. Percy then opened his mouth.

"Are you related to Will Solace, by any chance?" He asked, looking foolish. Dr. Solace smiled.

"He was my brother. I'm sorry I haven't introduced myself, I'm Kayla Solace, daughter of Apollo." She said beaming. Annabeth seemed to relax a little.

"At least I have a demigod doctor." She said, looking blissful. Kayla had her two nurses unlock the wheels on the bed, and began to move her down the hallway into the delivery room.

"Are you coming, Percy?" Kayla asked. He nodded, standing up.

"Let's do this."

* * *

When Percy finally got into the room, (Everyone was outside waiting for them. No surprise there.) Annabeth was screaming. He rushed over to her side, and let her grasp his hand, crushing all of his bones.

"Percy! It hurts!" She wailed, looking scared.

"It's okay, princess, everythings' going to be okay," He cooed into her ear, as she was screaming in terror. "Think of Hope. Think of our baby girl." Annabeth stopped screaming for a minute, until Dr. Solace walked in.

"Annabeth, it's time for you to start pushing." She said. "We'll do four first, and if that doesn't work, we'll do two more." Kayla explained. Annabeth nodded feebly.

"Alright, push!" Kayla exclaimed. Annabeth screamed. The door to the room opened, and Sally, Hazel, Rachel, and Piper walked in, all dressed in scrubs.

"Push!" Annabeth wailed again.

"It's gonna be okay, princess, just focus on Hope. Think of Hope!" Percy whispered.

"Push!" Kayla yelled, and then there was silence. Percy looked up, and saw Kayla nestling a baby, whose hands were entangled. Annabeth looked up as well.

"Hope!" She muttered feebly, and fell back on the pillows.

"Percy?" Kayla asked. "Would you like to cut the cord?" She asked. He nodded, and got up from the hard plastic chair next to the bed. He got to Kayla, and grabbed the pair of scissors. He snipped the cord, and watched as Kayla went and washed his daughter off. She came back, with a bundle of pink blankets in her arms. He took them from her, and saw a little pink face peeking out, looking up at her dad. Percy started to cry soft tears.

"Hello, Hope." He whispered, looking down into the face of his baby girl. He brought her over to her mother, who sat up immediately.

"Lemme see her!" She whispered excitedly. He passed the baby to her, and watched her face morph into an expression of pure delight.

"Percy, she has your hair, and my eyes." Annabeth whispered. He looked down, and saw Hope's head was covered in dark fuzz, and her eyes were as grey as the new moon.

"She's so beautiful." Percy muttered, breathless.

"Go get the others." Annabeth whispered commandingly.

"You sure? There are a lot of them!" He whispered back.

"Go."

* * *

**So, I told you that I would have the chapter up by 6, and now it is up by 2! Yay! So, leave a review please (at least 4, otherwise I will seriously stop writing) And I'll hopefully have the next chapter up by Wednesday! **

_**Hope Silena Jackson was born on July 16th, 2022 at 12:01 am weighing approx. 9 pounds and 4 oz. to parents Annabeth and Percy. **_

**I'm so happy they finally had a kid, aren't you?**

**xx Liz Logan **

**P.S Review! **


	10. Meet the Family, Hope

Chapter 12

Once he told the group of people outside that they could come in, they all started to get excited. Jason came in with Piper, who'd left the room with the rest of the girls when the baby was born. a heavily pregnant Hazel walked in with Frank, along with Leo and Rachel. The Stolls and Clarisse and Chris Rodriguez walked in next, followed lastly by the group of new grandparents.

Percy then closed the door, and walked in to see the reactions.

His mother and Athena were crying. They both said that she was the prettiest thing ever, and that they were going to be the best parents ever. Poseidon and Paul clapped him on the back, and Jason just wiggled his eyebrows mischieviously.

"You know you won't sleep soundly until they're like, one and a half, right?" Jason said, smirking. Percy nodded.

"I read all those stupid books Annabeth gave me about parenting. Did Piper make you do that?" Percy replied. Jason shuddered, and nodded.

"Did Annabeth find the one with all the pictures? It gave me nightmares until James and Elle were born." Percy laughed, and looked over at his wife, who, even exhausted, looked beautiful. He then walked over to her, and kissed her head lightly.

"How's are my gorgeous girls doing?" He asked, leaning down to kiss Hope as well. Annabeth smiled.

"I'm good, but Hope is getting pretty tired of looking at all these people." She said jokingly, looking down. Hope was yawning and squirming in her blankets.

"That's true, we should all probably get going." Thalia said, looking across the room at Nico.

Piper followed her gaze, and elbowed her mischieviously.

"Has he popped the question yet?" She asked. Thalia turned a nasty shade of burnt peanut red.

"Are you joking?" She said, her hands balled into fists. Piper backed away.

"Jeez Thals, I was just joking." Thalia then turned huffily, and exited the room. Piper walked over sheepishly to Jason, and they left shortly thereafter.

"Annabeth, you must be so happy to finally have a kid!" Hazel said, glowing. Annabeth nodded.

"I never asked, but what's the gender of your two babies?" Annabeth asked Rachel and Hazel.

"Mine's a boy." Hazel said, squeezing Frank's hand. Rachel's eyes fell to the floor.

"We are having, a, um, well we don't know yet." She said, resting her head on Leo's shoulder. He patted down her red curls and sighed.

"The doctor can't tell what it is yet, even though she's four months in." Leo explained hastily. The group of friends nodded. Nico then walked over, and saw Hope.

"Oh my gosh, she's so pretty!" He exclaimed, clapping his hands. "Can I hold her?"

"I think the two grandmothers and grandfathers get to do that first, and then you can." Athena said, sneaking up behind him. Nico bowed, and got out of the way so that she could grab Hope. She cradled her in her arms for a minute, and then passed her on to a sobbing Sally.

"She's precious! She looks exactly like you two!" Sally bawled. Annabeth patted her gently.

"Hopefully she hasn't inherited your ADHD, or Percy's lack of responsibility." Percy stood, aghast.

"Mother, how dare you insult me! I wasn't being responsible when I arrived at my wedding on time? Or when I went with my wife to her Ultrasound appointments? Or when I drove her to the hospital to give birth to our daughter, and stayed with her 'till the very end?" He said mockingly. Sally slapped his arm playfully.

"I knew that, sweetie. You're a good husband, we all know that." The adults nodded in agreement.

"Even though I didn't agree of your courting at first, I'm glad you married my daughter." Athena said, staring at him, her eyes steel grey, unlike Annabeth's dove irises. Percy bowed.

"It's an honor to hear those words, my lady." Poseidon then suddenly walked in the room, accompanied by Hera, one of Annabeth's and Percy's least favourite goddesses.

"Let me see my first granddaughter!" Poseidon exclaimed. Percy took Hope from his mothers' arms, and placed her in his fathers.

"She's gorgeous." Hera said shortly, even though she tried to portray fondness, it came out sinister.

"Lady Hera, what do we owe the honor?" Annabeth said, her voice clearly unhappy.

"I've come to bless your daughter, of course. It is part of my job, you know." She said, returning the iciness in Annabeth's voice.

"We never asked for a blessing." Annabeth countered.

"Well, I've come here on my own behalf, so, surprise." Hera said sarcastically.

"We don't want a blessing." Annabeth exclaimed.

"Yes, you do! You need one!"

"Says who?"

"Says me! If that child doesn't have one, she'll perish before she's a year old!" Annabeth froze, her mouth half open.

"Fine, give her your blessing." She spat. Hera then placed Hope in the crib, and raised her hands over the baby's head. She muttered a strange incantation, a string of ancient Greek words while waving her hands around the crib. She clapped three times, and kissed Hope's head lightly.

"There," Hera whispered. "She is blessed." Annabeth chortled.

"Thank you. Hope will not die before the age of one thanks to you. I really appreciate it." She muttered sarcastically. Hera's face turned red.

"Mark my words, Annabeth Jackson, the next time you try anything under my reign, I will make it wither and perish!" She exclaimed, and in a flash, she vanished. Annabeth looked shaken.

"Everyone, I think it's time we left the parents alone. We'll see them when they get home tomorrow." Sally said, ushering the crowd out.

"Thanks, Mom." Percy said graciously.

"You're welcome. We'll see you soon, I hope." Sally said, and closed the door.

* * *

At three pm, the parents were released out of the hospital, accompanied by their daughter. Percy struggled to fit the straps of her pink car seat together, while the baby gazed up at her father.

"Need any help?" Annabeth asked, getting out of the mandatory wheelchair.

"Kinda." He said, kissing her forehead. She gently pushed him out of the way, and in twenty seconds had Hope strapped in.

"How did you do that?" Percy asked, looking amazed.

"It's just like the straps on a rollercoaster, but harder." She said, gazing into his eyes. He kissed her again.

"Let's go home." He said, hugging her waist.

"Let's go home."

* * *

**That's it for today, folks! I am now going to be taking suggestions for Frazel's baby boy, and the gender and names for Reo's child. (I came up with Reo, hehe :) PM those please! **

**Review it up, at least 5, otherwise I will leave the story where it is, I'm dead serious! Thanks for all the reviews last time, so please keep it up! New chapter up by Thursday, at least… **

**Love all of you!**

**xx Liz Logan **


	11. Our Christmas Hope

**Chapter 13**

**December **

Annabeth awoke to the sound of Hope crying. Not a screaming-her-head-off cry but a silent, sweet, sob of '_Mama'. _She nudged Percy, who rolled over, and groaned.

"Whassamatter?" He mumbled sleepily.

"It's your turn to get Hope. I got her last time." She whispered, kissing his nose. He sat up, and looked at the digital clock situated on the nightstand next to him.

"But it's only three a.m. , Annabeth. You're the one who can lull her back to sleep, not me." Percy whined. Annabeth grasped his hand.

"I'll show you how to do it, sweetie." She said, and they walked out into the hall, and opened the door to the nursery. Hope was sitting up in her crib, her little hands clenched onto the white bars.

"Mama! Dada!" She cooed, the light of the full moon illuminating the tears scattered across her face, like little stars.

"C'mere, baby." Annabeth said, gracefully pulling her out of the crib. She then went and sat on the window seat, and opened one of the window latches. Hope's head turned towards the ocean, and she seemed to relax.

"How do you do that?" Percy said, looking incredulous.

"I'm not really sure. I guess she inherited both of our talents." Annabeth said, shrugging slightly.

"What'd do you mean by that?" He asked.

"Hope isn't an ordinary baby. I mean, not every 5 month old knows how to say 'Mama' and 'Dada', and can recognize who they are." Annabeth said, placing Hope back in the crib, and opening the window a bit more.

"So, we have one of those 'gifted children', is that it?" Percy asked jokingly. Annabeth flicked him.

"That's not funny. Since she has inherited Athena genes, she is technically 'gifted'." Percy's smile faltered.

"Oh." He mumbled. Annabeth leaned in and kissed him on the nose.

"Hey, Seaweed Brain!" She exclaimed, making Percy turn around in fright.

"What? What's wrong?" He asked.

"Merry Christmas," She mumbled, tucking her head under his chiseled neck. "To my wonderful husband." Percy kissed the top of her head lightly.

"Merry Christmas, Annabeth."

* * *

Five hours later, the Jackson family was nestled downstairs in front of their cozy fireplace. Hope was trying to eat the Christmas tree, so Percy had to pick her up and set her in his lap.

"Don't eat pine trees, Hope. Uncle Grover and Auntie Thalia would not be very happy with you." Percy chastised her. Hope erupted into giggles.

"Dada!" She said, pulling his ears.

"Yes, sweet girl?" He said, leaning in closer.

"I wuv you, Dada." Hope whispered, hugging his muscled arm. He picked her up, and enveloped her in a warm embrace.

"I love you too, baby girl." Annabeth then came over, and snapped a picture of them hugging. She gasped.

"I think I'm gonna cry!" Annabeth exclaimed, showing the screen of the camera to Percy. The picture was adorable. He had his arms wrapped tightly around his daughter, whose chubby hands were locked around his neck. Both pairs of eyes were closed, and Hope had a content grin on her face.

"That's Shutterfly book worthy." He said laughing. Annabeth smiled.

"C'mere, Hope. Mama wants to see you!" She said, clapping her hands. Hope then crawled over to her momma.

"Mama!" She cooed, her hands raised up, as if saying 'Pick me up!'

"Hi, baby! How are you?" She asked, looking at her beautiful daughter.

"Mama!" Hope gurgled again, sitting on her mother's' knees.

"Yes, silly!" Annabeth asked. Hope started to laugh, and so did Annabeth. Percy quickly grabbed the camera, and took a picture of his two girls.

"There!" He exclaimed, looking at the picture. "That's a keeper." Annabeth smiled, and grabbed the camera. She nodded in approval, and grabbed one of the presents under the tree.

"Here Hope, here's Gramma's present." The paper was simple white, and the box was a rigid square. Hope teared at the corners, and opened the box. Inside was a metal box labeled, '_**Labyrinth Logs'.**_ Percy laughed.

"Are those supposed to be like Lincoln Logs?" He asked, looking at Annabeth. She nodded.

"My mom came up with them. She gives each kid a set for their birthdays and such."

"But Hope isn't Athena's daughter, Wise Girl. She's ours." He said, a confused look on his face. Annabeth leaned in, and hugged his torso.

"She's still her granddaughter, Seaweed Brain." She explained. His facial expression then dawned in realization.

"Oh." He exclaimed stupidly. Annabeth kissed his cheek.

"Wow. Now I understand why you got those C's in all of your classes." He looked down at her.

"How'd you know that I got C's?" Percy asked, a look of betrayal on his face.

"Your mom brought me this big box of Percy-obelia, from your baptism napkins to your first, and last, academic award." Annabeth said, a wide smile creeping up on her face.

"What was the award?" Percy questioned.

"Best Teacher Helper. Sally said that was only because you could calm the other three year olds in preschool down." Annabeth giggled. Percy smiled as well.

"I remember that. Wow, that feels like such a long time ago. Almost." He then mentally counted. "26 years ago. Man, I feel old!" He exclaimed. Annabeth laughed again.

"You're only twenty-nine, silly. Not, forty-two with a daughter in college!" She said, looking at Hope play with her present from Tyson, a herd of stuffed hippocampi. Percy tousled the blonde curls on top of his wife's head.

"What time are the others coming over?" He asked. This year, their house had been chosen as the venue for the group's annual Christmas celebration.

"Eleven, so that means we have a little under three hours to get this place baby-safe and clean for Leo's kids, and Jason's twins, and Hazel's baby." Annabeth said, kissing his neck lightly.

"Oh!" She exclaimed, grabbing a squashed looking present out from under the tree. "This is for you, from me." She placed it in Percy's lap. He forwent the card, and tore the paper open. Inside was a bright red Christmas sweater, with 'Percy' knit in white. He looked up, and saw that Annabeth was wearing one identical to his, and so was Hope.

"We're going to be one of _those _families?" He said teasing. Annabeth nodded.

"We're getting pictures done tomorrow, so we'll wear these." She said, fingering the edges of the unopened card.

"We just got pictures done, like, a few months ago! And we did some before that!" He whined.

"I just think that we should capture the cuteness of our daughter as she gets older, okay?" She muttered, her face downcast. He picked her chin up.

"I see that perfectly sensible." He whispered, kissing her cheek softly. Her face brightened.

"Good. Now, this is the real present." She said, handing him the card. He opened the paper, and saw a handmade card. He opened the card, and saw a weird black and white picture, almost like a sonar image.

"What's this?" He asked, looking at his wife and his daughter. "One of Hope's ultrasound pictures?" Annabeth shook her head.

"No, Seaweed Brain. I'm pregnant." Percy's jaw dropped.

"Merry Christmas." She exclaimed, and kissed his cheek.

"Merry Christmas." He repeated, and kissed her back.

* * *

**Hey guys! So, I didn't get the five reviews I asked for, but I honestly don't care anymore. If you don't feel like leaving a comment, then don't. Just know I won't leave you all shout outs or recommend your stories in my A/N. **

**Anyways, I can't wait for the next few chapters, because while they're going to be funny (especially the next one, everyone's over for Christmas :) It's going to be kinda sad and dramatic, so it's gonna take me a while to write the chapters. But, don't worry, I will write at least two chapters a week! **

**Review if you feel like it!**

**xx Liz Logan**


	12. May your kids be Merry and Bright

Chapter 14

Apparently the Jackson family wasn't the only one to purchase matching Christmas sweaters. The Zhangs were wearing blue ones decorated in snowmen and ornaments. The Graces were wearing green jumpers decorated with knit Christmas lights. The Valdez family had white sweaters with blue snowflakes. All of the sweaters had their names on them.

"Hey!" Percy exclaimed, looking cheerful. "We all are weird families!" The group of friends laughed. Annabeth came out into the hallway, and squealed.

"Where are all of the new babies?" She exclaimed, looking at Leo and Hazel. She walked over to the Zhangs.

"Oh my goodness, Sammy! You've gotten so big!" She declared. Hazel grabbed the little boy out of the plaid car seat, which had his full name, Samuel Arion Zhang, embroidered on it.

"Come to your godmother, you cutie!" Annabeth said, holding her arms out wide. Hazel placed the infant in her arms. As she rocked the baby back and forth, he opened his eyes, which unlike his Asian appearance, were a brilliant amber. Annabeth gasped.

"He's so precious!" She whispered, stroking the black peach fuzz on his head. Sammy then began to cry, and Hazel took him back into her arms.

"Lemme go feed him," She mumbled. "Frank! Watch the girls." She commanded. Her husband nodded, looking at the four and two year olds in their matching skirts and sweaters. He picked up Emily, the youngest of the two.

"You ready to have some fun, Emmy?" He asked, brushing his thick fingers through her cinnamon coloured hair.

"Yes, Daddy. Let's have fun!"

* * *

Annabeth carried the big roasted turkey out of the kitchen and into the dining room. The adults clapped while the kids drooled miserably, their stomachs growling.

"Merry Christmas, everyone!" She exclaimed, and placed the turkey on the table. The guests then began to devour the food. Hazel's rolls were gone in a second, and Piper's mashed potatoes followed soon afterwards. The whole dinner was chaos, but a type of inexplicably beautiful chaos that can only be recalled in stories of past events.

* * *

The only thing that was better than dinner was presents. Leo sat on the couch, groaning from all the turkey he ate. And then, to make things better, he had two-thirds of his kids crawling all over him.

"Esperanza Calypso Valdez!" He moaned, peeling the little red haired girl off his sweater, and placing her on the ground. "How many times have I tried to tell you that lighting people on fire isn't nice?" He asked, brushing a small spark off his beard. The girl gurgled out a small laugh. Rachel came over, and grabbed another baby off him.

"Now, Tanner, you know how much Daddy hates when you climb on him." She said, and looked around the room.

"Has anyone seen Teddy?" She asked, slapping Leo's leg, causing him to take it off the coffee table. "Teddy! C'mere you silly boy!" Rachel called, looking for their third child.

"Ugh!" He exclaimed, moving into the den to join the other dads.

"Jason, can you record this, and play it to me the next time Rachel and I think we should have kids?" Leo asked, looking at his friend.

"Uh, sure buddy. Whatever you want. " Jason said, uncertain of what he was asking. He got out his iPhone, and pressed **record**. "Uh, go!"

"Dear Leo, you and Rachel do **not **need any more kids. You have three, which shows if you try and have more kids, having three more is a possibility. Three's also a handful, because the two boys look exactly alike, and Esperanza has inherited the fire, so if you get another kid it will suck because they'll probably burn the house down. Don't do it. Sincerely, Leo."

All of the men in the room burst out laughing.

"That's what's going to stop you from having more kids?" Percy said, in between fits of laughter. Leo nodded.

"It's exactly what I need. Listening to me being rational will help me along my way of being a better parent. You all should try it too, especially you, Percy. You don't need another kid just yet." Percy shrugged.

"Well, the thing is fellas," Percy began. "We're having another kid, right now." The adults gasped.

"Seriously, man?" Jason exclaimed. "That's great! Tell Pipes, because James and Elle are getting too big for me to be happy." Percy shrugged. Then he heard Annabeth call them into the living room for pie, and they left the football game on the flatscreen.

* * *

"Hey, Annabeth. Congrats on the baby, Hope'll be happy to have a sibling." Frank said, causing Percy to slap his head. She raised her eyebrows.

"Oh? What're talking about, Frank?" She asked, walking over to Percy and slapping him playfully.

"You just had to tell them, Seaweed Brain. You just had to." Percy nodded.

"It was on topic though." He muttered sheepishly. Annabeth kissed him.

"I bet it was, Percy. But now, we should tell them together." She said, holding his hand.

"Okay, if we must." He replied jokingly. They walked into the living room, hand in hand.

"Excuse us, everyone, but we have some important news to share with you guys." Annabeth announced. The group all fell silent.

"I'm pregnant! And guess what, it's a boy!" She and the guests' mouths dropped.

"You never told me it was a boy!" He said, he face shocked.

"Because Apollo dropped by ten minutes ago to tell me, sweetie." She said, kissing his face. She then went over to Hope, and picked her up.

"Hope! You're gonna be a big sister!" She exclaimed. Hope clapped her hands.

"Baby brother!" She gurgled. Annabeth kissed her cheek.

"Yes! Baby, you're gonna have a baby brother!" She exclaimed. Percy then leaned in to kiss Hope's cheek, and so did Annabeth. Hazel came over with her huge camera, and took probably the best Christmas picture ever.

* * *

**Alright, so I know this chapter wasn't the best, but I tried, so flame me if you feel like it. **

**I want to send a shoutout to Kecaswell2001, for being amazing and nice and letting me in the best forum ever, so, yeah. **

**Review, and a new chapter will be up soon!**

**XX Liz Logan**


	13. And the walls came tumbling down

February

Annabeth rolled over, and kissed Percy's sleeping face.

"Mornin' sleepy." She murmured. He grinned mischievously.

"I've been up for a while, sweetheart." Annabeth punched him playfully.

"You should've woken me up!" He shrugged sloppily.

"You're so cute when you sleep. Besides, Hope and I did a little redecorating."

Annabeth's eyes widened.

"Oh Hades, what did you do?" He kissed her, and then wrapped his arms around her, enveloping her in a tight hug.

"Come downstairs, and then you can see the damage." He murmured, she nodded, and he carried her out of bed.

"Sweetie, put me down. I'm technically two people right now, and our little boy is heavier than Hope was!" She exclaimed, slapping his arm playfully. He looked at her.

"Oh, I forgot, you're carrying our second child. Whoops." He said sarcastically. "Of course I know that our son is being incubated by the warmth of your body right now. I'm not stupid." Annabeth rolled her eyes.

"Don't try and act smart, it wrecks the dopey, lovable husband that you are." She said, kissing his neck.

"Aw, shucks," He said, putting her down at the bottom of the stairs. "Ta-da!" He exclaimed, thrusting out his arms in a "v" formation. She glanced around the room, and gasped.

The living room, which was painted a subtle crimson, was covered in fuchsia and scarlet heart décor. The angular pillows had been replaced with candy coloured X and O cushions. The modern wire chandelier had red and pink ribbons tied gracefully, as if the metal fixture had been hidden in a waterfall of cherry and strawberry cloth. The bookshelves had mason jars full of sweets and confetti amidst the endless selection of books. The crown jewel of the room was the newly finished picture wall. When they first moved into their home, Annabeth wanted to cover a large wall with pictures of them and their growing family. She decided on the far living room wall, and had been half heartedly pasting pictures on the wall since Hope's birth. Though, miraculously through the night the wall had been completed, gaps filled with candid pictures of the trio.

"Perce, it's, it's beautiful." She gasped, walking slowly towards the wall. She touched a large picture of the three of them, taken a week ago. Percy was holding a seven month old Hope, who was smiling and holding both of her parents' hands. Annabeth was sitting next to Percy, holding his hand ever so softly. He rested his free hand on her stomach, which was swollen from her second pregnancy. They all looked so happy, so carefree.

"I love it, so, so, so much." She murmured, running back to him and enclosing him in a passionate embrace. He stroked her hair.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Annabeth." He whispered, taking out a small aqua bag out of the coffee table. She gasped when she saw _**Tiffany &amp; co. **_inscribed on the parcel.

"Oh my Gods! Perce!" She said, taking the bag and opening the small jewelry box that lay inside it. Her eyes widened.

"Perseus Alexander Jackson! It's the most beautiful thing I have ever seen!" She said, glancing down at the box, in which a gold ring bedecked in minuscule emeralds and opals sat. She then glanced at the bottom of the box, which had a price tag on it. Her face paled, then reddened.

"Percy, please tell me you got this ring for a fraction of what it says on here." She said, her voice deadly.

"Why does it matter? I wanted to get you a present, so I did. The price doesn't matter." He said, grabbing the ring and placing it on her right hand. Annabeth didn't think that way, though.

"Percy, the ring could've bought us a few months of groceries, or paid for the electricity bill. You know how I feel about saving money!" She exclaimed, her voice getting louder and louder.

"All I wanted to do was surprise you, Annabeth! I wanted to get you something nice for Valentine's Day! You're acting like I offered up Hope for adoption or something!" He shouted.

"I'm the one who's acting crazy? You're the one who went out and bought a three thousand dollar ring, not me!" she yelled. Annabeth then fell on the couch, panting heavily.

"Arguing isn't good for the both of us, huh lil' guy?" She said, looking down at her stomach. Percy took a string of deep breaths, and sat down next to her.

"You okay?" He asked, patting her hand.

"Three thousand for a stupid ring." She muttered, shaking her head. Percy tensed up.

"I told you, it was a present from me! Don't worry about it!" He exclaimed, running his hands through his jet black hair. Annabeth opened her mouth to say something, but as she was going to the baby monitor filled the room with the sound of Hope cooing, 'Daddy, Daddy!" Annabeth shrugged.

"She wants you, I guess." She said huffily. Taking it as an order, Percy got up and walked up the stairs towards the nursery.

Once Percy got Hope out of her crib, changed her diaper (they had switched her to a new brand, **Hercules **_**cruisers**_) and put her into the adorable red dress that had little hearts on it, Hope wanted her mama. Percy carried her downstairs, and went into the living room, where he'd last seen Annabeth. Expecting her mother was in there, Hope cried out, "Mama! Hewo Mama!" But, to Percy and his daughters' surprise, she wasn't there. They checked her office, the basement, the backyard, the bedroom(s), and the patio that the had on top of the garage, but she wasn't there. Finally, Percy took Hope into the kitchen, and set her in her hippocampi-covered high chair. As he was grabbing her bottle, he noticed a piece of paper taped to the fridge, which was almost invisible beneath the endless pictures.

_**dear percy and hope,**_

_**went on drive, need to clear my head**_

_**be back later**_

_**-annabeth/ momma**_

Percy sighed.

"Well, Hope. I guess it's just you and me for right now." He said, stroking her head, which was covered in small, ebony curls.

"Yup, yup, Daddy!" She giggled. Percy hugged her.

"Never get older, Hopey." He murmured.

After a late breakfast, Percy gave Hope a bath, because she was covered in sweet potato baby food. She knew that she needed a bath, because she looked at herself in the mirror, and exclaimed, "Messy! Messy!" Which then prompted the bath. He turned on the faucet, and filled the tub with _**Bessie the Sea Cow's 100% All Natural Soapy Suds Body Wash**_, which produced blue bubbles, and smelled like peaches. He placed Hope in, who immediately calmed down, and she grabbed a few mermaid bath toys to splash around in the sky blue water.

"Daddy?" She cooed, looking up from beheading a Barbie.

"Yes, sweetie?" He asked, grabbing the shampoo and conditioner (also _**Bessie the Sea Cow **_brand :)

"Yur ring-ring make sound!" Hope exclaimed, pointing towards his iPhone. He looked down, and saw that he had three messages, all from Annabeth. He clicked on the first one, and listened to her talk.

"_Percy_," it began. "_I don't know if you found my note or not, but I had to get out of the house. I've just been so stressed at work, and with Hope staying with Hazel or Piper all the time, and then you bought that ring. Which, don't get me wrong, it's gorgeous, but did you really have to go and buy the most expensive ring for me? We need to hold back on spending, especially since we're going to have a little boy soon! We still need to shop for clothes and for his room, and for Athena's sake, we need to pick a name! He'll be here in four months! A little more than a fourth of a year! Anyways, call me back soon. Love you." _

The other two messages were almost the exact same. Percy sighed, and rubbed his face.

"What've I done, Hopey?" He asked, looking at his daughter.

"Daddy saddy?" She asked, pointing at him. He nodded.

"I made momma sad, sweet girl." He said, leaning his head onto his knees. Percy then washed her off, and put her into a long sleeved red onesie, and a pair of white terry cloth pants with pink hearts on them. He then checked his watch, almost one pm. He then carried Hope into her room, and placed her in her crib.

"Nap time!" He said, tucking her blankie around her. He turned on the wave sounds machine, since it was too cold to open the window. She quickly zonked out, and Percy went into the master bedroom. He lay on the bed, pondering his wife's message, and broke down. Sobs escaped from his mouth, sounding husky and pained.

'I've screwed up this marriage.' He thought to himself. He lay in the covers of the bed, crying about his seemingly ruined life.

Percy woke up to Hope crying. He looked at the wall clock, which read four thirty. He got up, and walked across the hall, where Hope sat in her crib bawling.

"Shh, sweet girl. I'm right here." He said, picking her up, and sitting in the rocking chair. He swayed her back and forth, until she calmed down. Once she had, he took her downstairs, and got her dinner ready. She ate it fairly slow, because by the time she was done it was six thirty, also known as bedtime. He wiped her face off with a wash rag, and took her upstairs to go to bed. She fell asleep quickly, which allowed him to go downstairs and relax. He ordered a pizza, a medium cheese with hamburger and bell peppers, which arrived ten minutes after he ordered it. He popped in **Angels and Demons**, and found it that he couldn't watch the whole thing because Annabeth wasn't with him. He tried calling her cell phone, because it was almost eight, but he just heard the voicemail every time.

Once he finished his dinner, he went upstairs and got ready for bed. Just as he was about to climb into bed, his phone rang. The caller i.d said that it was Dr. Solace, the lady who delivered Hope. He pressed the **accept **button.

"Hello?" He said groggily.

"Mr. Jackson, this is Kayla Solace from the St. Francis Hospital. We need you down here right away."

"Why?" He asked, worry building up inside him.

"Percy, it's Annabeth. She was in a severe car accident."

Everything inside him shattered.

**Hello, my lovelies! I'm **_**so **_**sorry that I didn't write for a super dee duper long time, but I was trying to enjoy my vacay in the States. I am now back overseas, which allows me to write a lot more than when I was in MN. Did you enjoy my cliffhanger? I have been thinking about this chapter forEVER! I was originally going to do it when she was pregnant with Hope, but, eh, I decided this would be more dramatic. (cue the ta da!) Also because my best friend Tori said that if I killed Hope I would lose followers, so, yeah….**

**Well, review it up, and I will write again soon! **

**Also, check out the chapter before this for the information to my Harry Potter forum, **_**Hogwarts, Past and Present**_**. The "Yule Ball" is almost here, so join and we can set you up with dates! **

**That's all for now. **

**xx eLIZabeth logan**


	14. How to Save a Life

Chapter 17

When Percy walked into the hospital, it felt as if he was holding up the sky again. All his pain and all his suffering had come back to haunt him, scare him, kill him. He walked up to the desk, where a kind-faced girl with the nametag **Sophie Mace **was sorting papers.

"Uh, excuse me?" He managed to get out a sentence, but it was a broken one.

"Hello, sir. How can I help you?" Sophie asked, looking expectant.

"I, um, am looking for my wife, Annabeth Jackson?" He said, hoping desperately that she was still alive.

"Wait a second, are you Percy Jackson?" She asked, looking shocked. He nodded.

"I'm Sophie, I'm a child of Poseidon too." She said, her deep green eyes locking into his.

"Oh, that's cool," He said, trying to act enthusiastic. "But, uh, I really need to see my wife." She nodded.

"Of course, she's in room 16. Eighth door on the right down this corridor." She said, pointing towards a hallway.

"Thanks." Percy muttered, and ventured on towards Annabeth.

* * *

Dr. Solace was waiting outside the door.

"Hello, Percy." She said, her speech muffled by a facial mask.

"Where is she?" He asked, looking at the door behind her.

"Percy, we need to talk." His stomach jumped.

"What's wrong?" He asked, his voice quivering. Kayla shuffled nervously.

"We've had to perform a few operations. It's the only way she'll even make it this far." Percy's face clouded with confusion.

"What sort of operations?" He asked. Dr. Solace inhaled sharply.

"Annabeth went into a type of shock, which affected the fetus as well."

"What are you trying to say?" Percy asked, wringing his hands nervously. Kayla put her hand on his shoulder.

"Annabeth, is, well, no longer pregnant." Percy gasped. '_Keep it together, Percy.' _He thought.

"Does she know?" He asked, trying to peer into her room.

"We haven't officially told her, but I think she knows," Kayla said, looking down at a clipboard. "We also had to fix a severe head injury. The cattle truck that ran into her was going 87 miles an hour, which hit the driver's side. Percy, she's lucky to even be alive." He nodded.

"Thank you for saving her." He said, his hand on the doorknob. Kayla put her hand on his shoulder again.

"Percy, she only has a 40 percent chance of survival. I would, um, say my goodbyes if I were you." She said, then set off towards the maternity ward. Percy regained his faltering composure, and opened the door.

* * *

"Percy? Honey, is that you?" Whispered a voice from the hospital bed. Percy ran over, and gasped at the sight of his wife. The left side of her face was black with numerous bruises. A noticeable cut jutted across her forehead, and went all the way back by her left ear. Her normally tan complexion was a wasting yellow. Her arms were filled with wires and tubes, which all connected to machines or medicine. Worst of all, her hospital gown was covered in blood, which seemed to be coming from her stomach.

"Sweetheart, it's me." Percy whispered, sitting down in the white plastic chair, and grasping her hand.

"I got hit." She whispered, her eyelids opening to reveal watered-down irises. Percy chuckled.

"So I heard. Sweetie, I am so sorry." He said, holding back sobs.

"For what?" She asked.

"The argument about the ring. I promise I'll take it back. All I've been thinking about is if the last thing I ever said to you was, '_I told you it was a present from me! Don't worry about it!' _"

Annabeth tried to sit up, but faltered.

"I've been thinking about that too, and I decided that no matter how stupid I think your decision was, I love the ring. I'll keep it." Percy smiled.

"Annabeth, I have to tell you a few things." He said, his smile faded away. Annabeth nodded.

" Dr. Solace and I just had a conversation, and you only have a 40 percent chance of living." Annabeth's lips shrank. She grasped his hand, and tears began to silently crawl down her cheeks.

"I don't want to lose you." She murmured, drops now cascading into her matted, dirty hair.

Percy began to cry as well.

"I won't lose you, Annabeth. I love you too much. I'll, I'll go get Apollo! I'll get the best doctors in the world, because honest to the Gods, you are my life. And if you die, I die too." He said, leaning forward enough so that their lips could touch. Annabeth raised a finger to her lips, and gently pushed him away. Instead, she placed a fragile hand on his face, and cupped it underneath his whiskery chin.

"I love you, Seaweed Brain. But if it's my time to go, then let the Fates take me." Percy shook his head violently.

"No!" He said, sobs now escaping through his distorted speech. "Annabeth, Hope needs you. Your job needs you. Our friends need you. I.." he faltered. "I need you." Annabeth leaned in, and kissed him. It seemed to go on for decades, centuries, millennia. Percy had wrapped his arms around her neck, and never wanted to let go. Annabeth finally pulled away from Percy. He cleared his throat loudly.

"Annabeth, there's something else that you need to know." She nodded.

"We, um, aren't parents to a boy anymore." He said, tears resuming their position on his face.

"I know. I knew as soon as that truck came barrelling into me." She said, using her thumb to wipe his tears away. "We had one perfect child. That's good enough for me." Percy sobbed.

"Annabeth, you're going to live. We will have the four children you want. Please, darling, please just tell yourself that you will live." Annabeth shook her head.

"No, no I'm not. Hera planned it. She told us that whenever we'd do something under her domain, it would die." Percy realized she was right.

"She meant the baby, not you. Annabeth, you aren't going to die. You can't die, you can't!" Tears now fell almost per second. Annabeth placed his head in her hands.

"Perseus," She said, making him shiver. " It's not my choice. You have to realize that." Percy looked up.

"Then, then tell yourself! You act as if you _want _to go! Don't you see how much I need you?" Percy lamented. Annabeth kissed his head.

"If I wanted to go, then I would've unplugged these meds a long time ago, Percy. I know you need me, but please, try and understand I'm doing the best I can." Percy's weeping slowed.

"I love you, Annabeth." He murmured, kissing her hand.

"I love you, Percy." She said, laying back on the pillows.

And then her heart stopped.

* * *

**Hello! So, I posted another cliffhanger, hahaha! Don't flame me, because she hasn't even technically died yet, so she might live! Yay! It just all depends on how I am feeling tomorrow….**

**Review! And hopefully I will have a chapter up soon! **

**xx eLIZabeth **


	15. That's the Way I Loved You

**Hiya y'all! I decided that I'd do the A/N before the chapter, just so I can say it's going to be a short(er) one than the last two. I was actually delighted to see your guys' reactions, except can I say that I don't tolerate swearing of any kind (starred kind or not) so don't swear if you don't want to be reported. (Sorry to** _Lonely diamond in the sky, _**It just surprised me :) Anyways, here's chapter 18! **

**xx Liz**

* * *

Chapter 18

Percy pressed the nurses' button.

"Help! Help! The love of my life is dying!" He shouted, watching the doctors and nurses flow into the room. Someone, probably Dr. Solace or Sophie Mace guided him outside. They murmured something, sounding along the lines of '_You really did love her._' Percy didn't hear her though, he was in a special kind of shock, an inextricable type that washes over you like a tsunami when you lose someone. And in Percy's case, he'd lost his best friend, his wife, his heart, his everything. Everything he thought of link to Annabeth. Hope, his friends, Camp Half-Blood, Olympus, every single thing. He began to cry again, this time the sobs sounding like avalanches on mountains, roaring and tumbling along. His cupped his face in his hands, and sat his elbows on his knees, making his blotchy face unseen to the normal passersby.

"Percy? Percy!" called a voice from down the hall. He hesitantly looked up, and saw one of his least favourite gods, but in this case, it could save his Annabeth.

"Apollo, what are you doing here?" He asked, looking at his medical coat and stethoscope.

"Uh, I'm here to save your wife, duh!" He said, gesturing towards room 16. Percy raised his eyebrows.

"Isn't she already dead?" He asked, trying not break out into tears again. Apollo shook his head.

"Nope. I can still save her. That is what you want, right?" He inquired, looking at Percy's red face.

"Yes. Please, save her." He said, looking desperate. Apollo rubbed his hands together.

"Time to make some magic!" He exclaimed, walking into the room. Percy sighed. '_Please, Apollo. Save my wife.' _

* * *

"Percy! Mr. Jackson!" He jolted awake. Dr. Solace was shaking him continuously.

"Wassamatter?" He grumbled, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

"Dr. Rays wants to speak with you." She said, gesturing inside Annabeth's room.

"Who?"He asked.

"You know," She tapped her foot impatiently. "Apollo." She whispered. He nodded.

"Okay." He walked inside.

Annabeth's bed was shielded by a group of screens. Apollo sat outside of them, checking over her diagnostics.

"Percy!" He exclaimed when he saw the distressed husband.

"Hello, _Dr. Rays." _He muttered slyly.

"You know that I have to go _incognito_ sometimes, so today I am posing as Dr. Samuel Rays." Apollo said. Percy rolled his eyes.

"Don't be sassy with me, sir. I just happened to leave my haiku workshop to save your wife. A '_thank you Apollo, you're the best medically trained poet there is!' _Is due around now." Percy sighed.

"Thank you Apollo, for saving my wife. You are the best doctorate receiving rhymer out there." Apollo smiled.

"I don't appreciate the sarcasm, but considering you just almost lost the love of your life, I'll take it." Percy nodded.

"Thanks. Can I see her?" He asked. Apollo shuffled his feet.

"You can, but right now she's unresponsive. It could take days for her to fully wake up."

"Okay." He said, his lips pursed. He then walked behind the screens, and saw his wife.

* * *

She looked the same from when he first entered the room four hours ago. He sat in the white plastic chair next to her bed, and held her hand.

"Hey, Wise Girl," He cooed. "You're alive. You're still here with me." Tears slipped down his face.

"I love you so much, Annabeth. Too much to ever let you go." He squeezed her hand. He sat there for ten minutes in silence, and then he felt a small amount of force being displayed on his hand. He looked down, and saw Annabeth was squeezing back.

"Hello, Seaweed Brain." She whispered.

"Hello, Wise Girl."

* * *

**I hope you enjoyed that! Review! **

**Oh, did you catch my Persassy reference? :P Haha, I've spent the entire day looking at **

**Percabeth on Pinterest. I realized how much I love PjO. **

**xx Liz**


	16. Losing Him was Blue

Chapter 19

**March**

"Alright, Mr. Jackson, just sign these release forms, and your wife will be able to go!" Sophie exclaimed. He grabbed the pen, and wrote his name. He grabbed the handles of the wheelchair Annabeth was in, and slowly but surely wheeled her out of the hospital to their car.

"When we get home, can we have popcorn?" Annabeth asked sheepishly. Percy smiled.

"Anything for you, my Wise Girl." Annabeth placed her hand on one of his that was guiding the chair towards the car.

"Has Hope been tearing up the house?" She asked, trying to stand up and get in the car. Percy placed his strong hands on her waist, and helped her into the passenger's seat.

"No, we've actually made it prettier than it was." He replied jokingly. Annabeth smiled.

"Am I going to be welcomed by an entourage of friends and family?" She asked as they were turning on to their street, **Soundview Road. ** Percy grinned sheepishly.

"Piper and Hazel might have set up a welcome home party…" His voice trailed off. Annabeth punched him lightly.

"You could've said no." She said, sighing. "I look terrible." Percy leaned over, and kissed her cheek.

"You look amazing. The clothes are a bit big on you, but other than that you look stunning." Annabeth shuffled in her seat nervously.

"Does it look that bad?" She murmured self-consciously. "I've lost weight since the accident, and the…" Her voice trailed off. Percy knew she was trying to get over the fact that she'd lost their son. He was as well, but he concealed it better than her.

"You look as if you just took a shower." He said.

"I just did, about fifty minutes ago." She replied. He rolled his eyes.

"I know that, but you look clean. That's a good adjective to be described by, right?" He said, pulling into the driveway.

"I'd rather be a mother of two than be clean." She murmured. Percy struggled to not cry.

"Sweetie, I know we lost an important member of our family, but we can have another." Annabeth started to cry.

"Percy! But he was going to be in _our _family!" She warbled. He turned down another street, and stopped the car.

"Annabeth!" He exclaimed. She looked up hastily. "I understand that this is hard. He was going to be my son, too. We just have to get through it together. Okay?" He said, placing his hand on hers. She nodded.

"Okay."

* * *

"_ANNABETH!_" Piper and Hazel shouted unanimously. Annabeth smiled weakly.

"Hi, guys." She mumbled. Piper and Hazel both placed their sons in their husbands' arms, making Annabeth's stomach boil.

"You look really good! Hey, we found this great restaurant on Main Street…" Hazel began, but Annabeth just fazed out. She looked around and saw that everyone was here. The Stolls and Katie, Clarisse and Chris with their kids, Leo and Rachel with the triplets, Nico and Thalia, (who wore a flashy engagement ring) and the parents. Annabeth muttered a few feeble hellos, and then went inside. She collapsed on the couch, and began to cry. She felt a pair of tiny hands touch her legs, and she looked up.

"Mama? Sad?" Hope questioned. Annabeth smiled and scooped her daughter up in her arms.

"Hiya, baby." She whispered into her fuzzy black curls. Hope smiled.

"Mama! Happy!" She said, clapping her hands together. Annabeth laughed.

"Yes, baby. I am now."

* * *

"Annabeth! Annabeth!" Percy exclaimed, shaking her awake. She was tossing and turning in the sweaty bedsheets.

"Percy? Wassamatter?" She muttered softly. He placed his hand on her forehead.

"You were having a nightmare. You kept screaming and thrashing around…" His voice trailed off. "It was the baby, wasn't it?" She nodded, and wiped an unseen tear out of her eye.

"He was alive, and then, then…" She faltered. "Hera came." Percy nodded.

"We need to see the gods tomorrow. This can't go on anymore." He said sternly. For the first time in a while, she agreed with him.

* * *

**Sorry this was such a short chapter, I am back in school and overseas so I can't really do forums or write as much as I used to. Please review, my lovelies, and I will write more soon! 3**

**xx Liz**


	17. Don't You (Forget about Me)

**Chapter 20**

"Six hundredth floor, please." Percy exclaimed confidently. The manager, whose nametag read _**Larry **_, raised his under plucked eyebrows.

"There's no such thing." He replied, his face stony. Annabeth glared, and fidgeted in her suit.

"Cut the crap, Larry. We need to get up there." She placed a drachma on the polished countertop. He handed over a key card and muttered a feeble "Have a nice day".

The couple walked down the hallway, and slid the card into a janitor's access slot. The door slid open, and Percy slid the key card into a space above the numbers. The elevator doors slammed shut, and Simple Minds' "_Don't You (Forget About Me)_" began to croon through the loudspeakers. Percy wrapped his wife in his arms, and shuffled slightly to the music.

"_Don't you… forget about me,_" He murmured into her honey blonde curls. She spun out, and into his open arms.

"_As you walk on by…_" She hummed to the music. He did some sort of awkward dance move, and she laughed. He hugged her once more.

"You know what movie this is in?" She asked, looking into his emerald eyes.

"It's that one with the girl from _Pretty in Pink _or whatever." He said, swaying gently.

"It's called _The Breakfast Club_, and her name is Molly Ringwald." She replied, adjusting her brown coat, and pulling her pink blouse up. The doors then opened with a cheery _**ding!**_ and the couple walked up the polished stairs towards Mount Olympus.

* * *

"Percy!" Exclaimed a warm voice when they walked into the throne room. The seventeen thrones were arranged in a some sort of angular polygon, so that Zeus' throne stuck out from the rest.

"Over here!" Poseidon exclaimed, waving his hands enthusiastically. Percy half-heartedly waved, and led Annabeth to the center of the shape.

"King Zeus!" He announced, causing the leader of the gods to peer down at the couple.

"Yes, Percy Jackson?" He asked sternly.

"We have come to ask if the, er, lovely Queen Hera can stop plaguing my wife with terrible misfortune through the means of dreams, and life." He grimaced. Zeus looked at his wife, who had turned to admire the mosaics on the wall.

"Hera," He said sternly. She turned, a very coquettish look on her face.

"Yes, dear?" She replied, batting her eyelashes so fast she resembled Aphrodite.

"I thought you had stopped all of this nonsense, especially after the incident that took place last month…" His voice trailed off when he saw the couple's and their parents faces.

"I did, dearest! Right after I sent a few dreams through Iris, and we all know how, well, cuckoo she is. She probably forgot to read the date to send it. I specifically said March twenty seventh…"

"That was yesterday!" Annabeth interjected. "I've been having bad dreams since January! Please, Hera! I hate it! Okay? I just lost my son! Because of you!" She began to cry, and collapsed into Percy's arms. Hera's face remained cold, while the other gods and goddesses watched in pity.

"Hera," Zeus said tentatively after five minutes of bearing Annabeth's uncontrollable sobbing.

"Lift the damn curse. Annabeth shouldn't have had to go through all this. No one should." He said. The other gods nodded in agreement. Hera rolled her eyes.

"Fine," She snarled. "But when she messes up something in the future, don't come crying to me." With that, she disappeared. Aphrodite gracefully slid off her throne, and circled around the couple.

"See?" She exclaimed to the other immortals. "Didn't I say they were the best couple since Helen and Paris? Didn't I?" The other gods nodded. Percy kissed the top of Annabeth's head lightly.

"I have a surprise planned, sweetheart. I say let's ditch these losers and go." He said.

"_I heard that!_" Athena exclaimed, a glimmer of a smirk reflected in her eyes. Annabeth then nodded, and they exited the throne room after a final bow.

* * *

"Percy? Can you please tell me where we're going?" Annabeth asked, trying to remove his hands shielding her eyes.

"Nope. 'Cause we're almost…" He said. "There!" He took his hands off her face. She was standing on the beach, next to an old, cheerful looking cabin.

"Montauk?" She exclaimed breathlessly. He nodded.

"You need a pick-me-up, so I thought the place we got married would be a good place to start." He explained. Annabeth smiled.

"What about Hope?" She asked.

"Staying with my mom and Paul for the weekend. We get to have three days to ourselves." He said, walking his fingers flirtingly up her neck. She kissed his cheek.

"Well then, where are your manners, Mr. Jackson?" Annabeth exclaimed cheekily.

"Er, right here!" He said, swooping his arms under her legs and carrying her into the cabin. It was almost as if someone had put their wedding video on, because the events that happened afterwards reminded them something of that special night…

* * *

**Hey y'all! I am feelin' good about this chappie, just I've been so busy it's taken me a while! I have a semi-boyfriend so I've been involved in that mess… along with way too much hw!**

**Alright, so at the beginning of this chapter, I mentioned **_**The Breakfast Club**_**. Now, I want to do a PJ version of it, with Percy as Bender, Luke as Drew, and Thalia as Alison, but I'm not sure if I should put Annabeth as Brian (Brianna) and Piper as Claire (so Pircy?) or put Annabeth as Claire and _ as Brian. Review and let me know. **

**Review in general, and Chapter 21 will be up soon!**

**I lufs you!**

**xx Liz**


	18. Warm and Fuzzy Feelings

**Chapter 21**

Annabeth woke up at the bottom of the ocean. Normally, if she wasn't married to a son of Poseidon, she would've flipped out. Since she _was _in fact married to a son of Poseidon, she didn't mind it. In fact, the dark blue nothingness that surrounded her was very comfortable. She was laying on Percy's chest, and he was still softly snoring, emitting strands of iridescent bubbles. She kissed his nose, and began to try to swim 20 feet up to the surface. She held her breath, and slowly swam up to the beach. She gasped for air at the surface, and looked behind her to admire the sky. The sun was slowly descending, and had changed from a bright ball of light, to a moody scarlet-orange orb dangling in the sky. There were strips of magenta, violet, saffron, and Augustus' tulips blurred in the sky. Suddenly, there was a large splash behind her, and a dark mop of hair flipped out of the water.

"Percy!" She exclaimed. "I thought you were still sleeping." He swam over to her, and wrapped his arms around her shoulders.

"Nope, I woke up and noticed you were gone, so I came to find you." Percy said. Annabeth grinned.

"Wanna roast hot dogs tonight?" She asked, wiping a strand of salty black hair off his face.

"Yes, I'm starving!" He replied, throwing Annabeth onto his back and swimming to shore.

* * *

A scarlet fire crackled in front of the two, who were clutching wooden sticks. Their hot dogs sat in the flame, getting progressively cooked.

"I love cooking food over a fire," Percy said. "It makes me feel normal." Annabeth laughed.

"It's normal until Hestia visits and gives us free food." She replied, grinning.

"Sh! She'll hear us!" He whispered jokingly. Annabeth slapped his arm.

"Shut up!" She exclaimed, setting her stick down and passionately kissing him, running her hands tentatively through his knotted black hair.

"Annabeth…" He muttered once they broke apart. "You must really be liking this vacation." She giggled.

"I like getting away from life. It really helps with…" Her voice trailed off. Percy gently picked up her chin.

"Annabeth, we've been over this. It's gonna be okay! In a few months, we can try again, and Hera won't stop us!" Annabeth inhaled sharply.

"But, I wish we had him _**now. **_It would be better than later!" She cried. Percy wrapped his arms around her shoulders, and swayed her softly.

"Did you have a name picked out?" He asked quietly.

"Yes." She replied, her voice almost inaudible.

"What was it?" He asked, looking at the crackling flames in front of them.

"Peter. Peter Luke." Annabeth whispered. Percy nodded.

"I love it. So, when you feel confident again, we can have Peter, okay?" He said. Annabeth turned to face him slowly.

"You're serious? You like the name? I thought you would hate it!" She exclaimed. He furrowed his eyebrows, and shook his head.

"No! I really like it!" He said. "As in, Peter in Narnia?" Annabeth smiled.

"Partially, and Peter the Great, who was a son of Athena. He was the first king of Russia." Percy nodded.

"With all this talk about Peter, do you think we'll be his parents soon?" He asked. She bit her lip.

"Give me until Hope's birthday. Then we'll decide." She said. He smiled.

"Ready for the s'mores?" A bag of Jet Puffed Marshmallows waved in front of her face.

"Fine!" She said, snatching the pack out of his hands and opened it. He grabbed the top one, and popped it into Annabeth's mouth.

"Mmm!" She exclaimed, and sat on his lap. They both then continued making treats for the rest of the night, the thought of their future son pushed back into their minds.

* * *

**Hi Guys!**

**So, I have to say I have been very disappointed in the reviews I have received. Three hundred people have read S.S, but only about four of you review! I will quit this…**

**My life is very complicated right now (No b.f anymore… ) and since I am almost in High School I need to focus on my grades so I can get into a good school. Review, and give me a reason to continue…. **

**Liz**


	19. A Year of Hope

**Chapter 23**

**July**

"Mama! Mama!" were the first words Annabeth heard when she was woken up. Hope's luminous grey eyes peered down into her matching ones, and and a group of medium length black curls tickled her nose.

"Hi, Hopey." Annabeth murmured, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. Percy quickly rolled over, and wrapped a strong, bare arm around Annabeth.

"'Morning, love." He whispered into her ear. She looked up into his eyes, and smiled gratefully.

"Morning, Percy." She replied sweetly, kissing the blunt tip of his nose. Hope obviously did not agree with the sensuality, as she thrust herself in between the two parents.

"It's _**my **_birt-day you know!" She yelled, throwing her chubby arms up in the air. Both of the adults laughed.

"Someone's very sassy for being one today!" Percy said, grabbing Hope under her arms and throwing her up in the air. She squealed loudly, and wiggled her arms and legs as she flew.

"_**That **_was _**scary!**_" Hope screamed, crawling over Percy and nestling herself in Annabeth's arms. Annabeth laughed, and hugged Hope tightly.

"I'll protect you, don't worry!" Percy raised his eyebrows, and crossed his arms.

"Hopey, I thought I was your protector?" He said, feigning hurt. Hope clapped her hands, laughing.

"Momma doesn't throw me in the air!" Hope said, smiling sheepishly. Annabeth tousled her ebony hair.

"Does somebody want to go open her presents?" Annabeth asked. Hope's eyes widened.

"I, I get _presents_?" Hope exclaimed, shocked at this new idea. Her father chuckled.

"Nah, I just think your uncles and aunties and Momma and Daddy went and bought random things for you, not because you're one, but because we love spending our money on you instead of Daddy's truck he wants." Annabeth slapped his arm.

"Your birthday's in a month, mister. Be patient." Percy wiggled his eyebrows comically.

"_Am _I getting my truck?" He asked, his green eyes fighting her grey ones. Annabeth shrugged.

"I dunno. We'll have to see."

"_Can we __**go **__now?!" _Hope yelled, pulling on her dad's red boxers and her mother's oversized tee-shirt. Percy smiled his signature crooked smile, and picked his young daughter up off of the floor, and onto his tan, broad shoulder.

"Of course, princess."

* * *

The threesome ran down the dark wooden stairs, and into the main room. Annabeth undid the latches on the folding doors, and she pushed them back so the scent and sounds of the beach near wafted into the room. Hope looked outside, and smiled.

"Grandaddy's out there, isn't he daddy?" Percy smirked nonchalantly.

"Of course, Hopey. Today he's making the day pretty for you too." Hope grinned bigger.

"Can I try to swim today?" She asked, peering up at her father. Annabeth swept her up off the floor, and into her arms.

"Don't you want to open your presents first?" Annabeth asked. Hope nodded quickly.

"Yes, puh-wease!" She chirped. Annabeth then set her on the fawn-coloured couch. Percy then, all so dramatically, wheeled out a crimson Radio Flyer wagon, which was piled up high with presents, in all different shapes and wrappings.

"Are all those for me?" Hope asked, her small hands on her forehead in shock. Annabeth smiled, and bit her lip.

"Yeah, baby. These are from your great-aunts and uncles and grandaddies and grandmas and Mommy and Daddy." Percy said, counting off his fingers all of the relatives.

"Of course, your aunts and uncles are coming later." Annabeth said, stroking her daughter's silky curls. Hope ran to the wagon, and picked up a blue horribly wrapped package.

"Wat is this?" Hope asked, looking confused. Annabeth picked it up, and read the message scrawled in Sharpie.

"It says 'Happy Birthday to Brother's daughter and my favourite niece. I will see you soon. Love, Tyson.'" Percy grinned.

"This is from Unca Tyson?" Hope asked, looking surprised. "He remembers me?" Percy burst out laughing.

"Of course he does! Whenever I talk to him, all he asks about is you. It's gotten a bit creepy honestly." Percy said, avoiding the harsh look on Annabeth's face. Hope took that as a good enough answer, as she ripped off all of the paper, to reveal a silver box with a button in the center.

"Can I push it?" Hope asked. Annabeth started to shake her head no, but Percy nodded quickly. Hope pushed it, and a detailed rocking horse popped up.

"Wow! Dada it's a pony!" Hope screamed, jumping up onto it. Annabeth gasped.

"Oh my goodness! Tyson really outdid himself this time!" She said. Percy pulled Annabeth close, and enveloped her against his chest.

"Look how happy she is." He murmured, looking at Hope squeal delightedly as she rocked back and forth. "We've been raising her right, Annabeth." Annabeth sighed in graciousness. Hope then began to open the rest of her presents. She opened a orange parcel from Hestia, which contained a fuzzy grey blanket that Hope immediately rolled up into. Next, Zeus sent a velvet jewelry box, which held a silver locket with the Olympic seal emblazoned on the front. Hope opened it with curious fingers, and saw the faces of her parents smiling back at her.

"Mama! Daddy! It's you!" She exclaimed. "Mama! Put on please?" Annabeth took the necklace, and strung it around her daughter's small neck.

"Look at my pretty princess!" Percy said, grabbing her underneath her arms and swinging her around.

"Put me down, Daddy!" Hope squealed, slapping her father's arms gently. He put her down, and the gift opening continued. Once they were finished with all of the gods' gifts, Hope received the following:

-A beautiful peacock-inspired dress from Hera. ("We'll give it to Goodwill." Annabeth muttered.)

-A sparkling goldfish in a bowl that changed colours every ten minutes from Poseidon. ('I name her Posie!' Hope shrieked.)

-Bags of enchanted seeds for exotic flowers from Demeter. ('Make sure she doesn't eat them.' Percy muttered.)

\- A new set of Labyrinth Logs from Athena, this time more advanced. ('Ooh! The Acropolis Junior set! I remember when she gave me those!' Annabeth cooed.)

-An electric blue baby keyboard from Apollo. ('So he really wants us to get no sleep.' Percy groaned.)

-A plush silver wolf toy from Artemis. ('I hope it's not real!' Annabeth whispered mortified.)

-A mechanical train set that allowed Hope to build the track from Hephaestus. ('Leo must've encouraged the train.' Percy whispered, as on the side was written _**Valdez Express**_)

-An enchanted vanity with play groups of makeup and perfume from Aphrodite. ('Why all pink?' Hope asked, moving away from the set as if it would bite her.)

-A baby-sized backpack full of drachmas from Hermes. ('Who knows where he got those.' Percy joked.)

-A tie-dyed purse full of cupcakes and beef jerky from Iris. ('Whatever you do, don't eat it.' Percy warned.)

-Special sleeping medicine from Hypnos. ('It'll be perfect for when she's sick and can't sleep.' Annabeth said approvingly.)

-Silver and green tennis shoes from Nike. ('Yay! New shoes!' Hope exclaimed.)

-A pure gold rattle from Hebe. ('Pretty!' Hope cooed.)

-A deck of cards from Tyche. ('I wonder if we could teach her poker?' Percy wondered aloud, but stopped when his eyes met Annabeth's murderous ones.)

-A bag full of magic powder that would create anything Hope wanted from Hecate. ('Let's not let her use these yet.' Annabeth said cautiously.)

Hope continued on to the four other presents remaining. The first one was wrapped in faux newspaper dating from the World War One, and secured in brown twine. Annabeth smiled to herself.

"This one is from Grandpa Freddy, Hopey." Annabeth murmured. Hope's eyes widened, and she carefully tore open the paper, and gasped when she saw the gift inside.

"Googles!" Hope screamed, picking up a small helmet and goggles. Percy's eyes grew wide.

"Aw! I want one of those!" Percy whined. Annabeth slapped him impatiently.

"_Someone's _birthday is coming up…" Annabeth whispered. Percy smiled devilishly. Hope then moved on to the next present. This one was wrapped in generic Target paper, and had a sparkly bow on the top.

"Is this one fu-wuhm Grandma Sally?" Hope asked. Percy nodded excitedly.

"My mom said she picked out a great present for Hope." He whispered in Annabeth's ear.

Hope carelessly ripped off the paper, and saw the present underneath.

"_**Monkey!**_" Hope shrieked excitedly. Inside a pair of sock monkeys lay, one blue and pink striped and one green and yellow. Annabeth laughed, and took a picture of Hope hugging both creatures.

"Grandma Sally must know that you love monkeys, Hope." Percy said, ruffling her hair affectionately.

"Hope _**loves **_monkeys!" She exclaimed, cuddling them tightly. "Imma name them….. Missy and Coco!" She squealed. Annabeth raised her eyebrows.

"Missy and Coco? Don't you want names that are a little bit less silly?" She asked softly. Percy grabbed her arm.

"Annabeth, just because Hope acts like a five-year old that doesn't mean she is. Sure, she can say full sentences. Sure, she can walk better than I could when I was three. Even though she has some crazy Athena genes that make her super developed, that doesn't mean that she can't still be one years old." He hesitated at the last bit. Annabeth sat in a scary silence for a moment, and then leaned over and kissed Percy's forehead affectionately.

"Thank you for being the better parent, Seaweed Brain." She whispered into his ear. Percy shoved her playfully.

"Says the person who gave birth to our beautiful daughter. I believe creating a kid is better than saying how old she is." He exclaimed, shrugging his shoulders childishly. Annabeth smiled, and kissed the top of his forehead, just below the hairline.

"Who are these presents from?" Hope asked, looking at the two remaining gifts in the wagon. Percy hugged Annabeth close to his chest.

"Us, your amazing parents." He said, gazing fondly at his wife. Hope grinned wide, and began to open the first present, which was large and rectangular.

"Books!" She exclaimed, looking at the huge stack of picture books underneath the paper.

"Momma picked out a bunch for you to read." Percy said, trying to count the number of books.

"I went to Barnes and Noble, and found ten of the best looking ones." Annabeth said, showing Hope some books in the pile, such as "**Rainbow Fish**", "**Chrysanthemum"**, and "**Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse"**. Hope spread the rest of the titles out, trying to see the rest of the selection.

"Do you like them, Hopey?" Annabeth asked, trying to read her daughter's blank expression.

"Yes! Yes!" She squealed, clapping her hands together. Annabeth smiled, and ruffled Hope's little patch of hair affectionately.

"Wanna open the next one, princess?" Percy asked. Hope nodded, and continued on to the next present, wrapped in blue-green paper. She tore open the paper, and squealed when she saw a yellow and blue swimsuit peeking out under the tissue paper.

"Swimsuit!" She cried, taking it out of the box and holding it in front of herself.

"Daddy picked it out." Annabeth said, jerking her head in Percy's direction, and then hit his temple with her forehead.

"Ow! Jeez Annabeth!" He muttered, rubbing the small bump on his head.

"Oh Perce! I'm so sorry!" She exclaimed, leaning over and wrapping her arms tightly around his neck. Percy groaned.

"Annabeth, You're killing me!" He gasped, trying to push her off himself. Annabeth recoiled, and a sad look was plastered on her face.

"Sorry." She mumbled. Percy sighed, and grabbed Annabeth and pulled her into his arms.

"Haven't I told you not to say you're sorry to me?" He asked, his eyes wide. Annabeth shrugged.

"I'm doing it for Hope," She muttered. "You know, manners matter." She cracked a small smile. Percy returned it, and hugged her even tighter.

"Of course, doing it for the child! Why didn't I think of it before?!" He exclaimed dramatically.

"Momma! I need to get ready!" Hope yelled, crawling into her mother's lap.

"Of course, princess. Let's go eat some breakfast, and then we can take a bath, okay sweetie?" Annabeth said, hugging her daughter close.

"Okay! Let's go!" She squealed, her smile as large as a half-moon.

* * *

At three o'clock, the guests started to arrive. First came Leo and Rachel, pushing two strollers and a carrying a large present. Next came Nico and his new boyfriend, Will, with two medium sized packages. Thalia came next, looking peakier than usual (Nico and her had broke off their engagement a month previously.) Though, she still brought a present for Hope. Piper and Jason came next, with Ellie and James in tow. Both twins held a medium-sized parcel. Hazel and Frank came after, with the two little girls dressed the same, and Sammy sleeping soundly in his pram. Others arrived as well, such as a very pregnant Katie Gardner and her husband Travis, Clarisse and Chris with two feisty little boys, and Kayla Solace, their doctor.

Memories were made that night. Rachel announced she was pregnant again, and Jason played back the message that Leo had recording at the previous Christmas for him. Leo blushed furiously after hearing himself chastise himself, but ended up laughing with the others. It was after twilight when the last guest had departed, and Percy, Annabeth, and Hope were exhausted.

"Can I go to su-weep now?" Hope asked sleepily. Annabeth nodded, and picked her daughter up. She slowly meandered into the house, and up the stairs into the nursery. She took Hope's frilly skirt and tank top off, and tugged on her footie pajamas. She kissed her daughter's head one more time, and set her in her crib. She closed the door, and went into her bedroom.

"Is she asleep?" Percy asked, looking up from his book.

"Yeah, it didn't take much." She replied, flopping on the bed and cuddling close to Percy.

"Have we been raising her right, Annabeth?" He asked, looking very serious.

"Of course, Seaweed Brain. We're excellent parents, if I say so myself." She chuckled. His tensed shoulders relaxed, and he pulled Annabeth close to him, allowing him to inhale her scent, a mixture of lavender and seawater.

"Good night, my sweet Annabeth." He murmured, kissing her head softly.

"Good night, Percy."

* * *

**Hey guys! I am so sorry that it took me so long to write, I was so freaking busy with things and this chapter took **_**forever! **_**Anyways, its here now, so I hope you enjoyed it! Comment what your favourite part was, and I'll see you soon!**

**xx Liz**


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